


A Chance Encounter

by Celosia



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Fae & Fairies, Futuristic Fantasy, M/M, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2020-10-26 07:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20738810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celosia/pseuds/Celosia
Summary: In a world where magic and technology are at odds with each other, Lovino is a fire faery that has escaped from an American laboratory that had been holding him captive in order to experiment on him. After escaping, he managed to flee across the border into Canada, where Matthew finds him nearly unconscious in the cold and carries him home in order for Lovino to heal.





	1. Prologue

_ This world… It has the potential to be such a beautiful place, Matthew. I only wish that you would be able to see and experience all of it to the fullest… But there are dangers. Dangers that I hope you never have to face. And with these dangers, there are rules that you need to follow. Rules within the constraints of human society that you have to follow so that you don’t get hurt. _

_ What rules, Maman? Why would someone try to hurt us? _

_ Oh, Matthew… That’s just the way things are. People can be needlessly cruel, especially humans, and they’ll shun or hurt or use anyone that they see as different from them, even if it’s other humans. _

_ But that’s not right! _

_ I know, mon coeur, I know… _

_ ...Maman… You keep talking about humans as if humans aren’t the only other beings around… _

_ Because they aren’t, Matthew. Humans have never been the only ones that live on this planet, even when they had always wanted to believe it as such… Fairies and other magical creatures exist, and now that their existence has been exposed to society, they are hunted down for various reasons by humans and tend to have to pretend to be humans as a necessity to their survival. _

_ Does that mean magic is real!? _

_ Yes, magic is very real. With the exceptions of mages, humans don’t have magic, which just gives another reason for humans to hunt down the creatures to exploit them for their magical qualities: mermaids for their scales to give humans the ability to breathe underwater, fairies for fairy dust, dragons for their tough hides… The list could go on forever… _

_ But why would they do that? Why would humans be that mean!? It’s not fair! _

_ No… It’s not… They do it because they see magical creatures as lesser beings, refusing them the same rights as humans and often using them as slaves or for the advancements of...science. That’s why it’s so important for the Fae to stay concealed, because otherwise, if a human finds out about their true nature, then their life may as well be over. And with the advancements made in technology, it’s only become that much easier for humans to discover Fae that are in hiding. Do you know how, Matthew? _

_ It’s...because of all of the iron, right? _

_ Yes. Iron in any amount will make the Fae feel sick; prolonged skin contact with iron can cause rashes and burns; and if it gets mixed into their blood stream, then in many cases, it can prove to be fatal… That’s why mages have it easier than other magical creatures. It’s because they aren’t affected by iron, since they’re still technically human. _

_ But, Maman, what about technology? Wouldn’t it be able to detect if someone has magic? _

_ No, technology and magic are polar opposites. Those who believe that science is key see magic as an unnatural ability and something that shouldn’t exist in this world. Because of this, followers of science see anything of magical origin as a bane to society. Though likewise, most of the magically gifted see technology as a dangerous thing. Magical beings still manage to survive in this tech-advanced world, but they’re suffering because of it… _

_ ...What do you mean? Maman, what’s happening to them? _

_ I told you that humans will hunt down magical beings for trying to gain their magical abilities, but it’s not just that. Scientists will often capture Fae to study them in an effort to scientifically explain the phenomenon that is magic. Other scientists will use them as lab rats because they’re able to handle a greater amount of physical stress than a simple human can. They’re denied equal rights to humans, and there are many scientists that end up going overboard and using...unethical methods. Many magical beings have been subjected to the equivalent of torture as a result. _

_ But… But why? They haven’t done anything to deserve that! _

_ It’s what humans do all in the name of Science and Progress. _

_ That’s terrible… But why are you telling me this now? _

_ Oh, Matthew… My darling… I need you to know all of this, so that you know how to be safe and how to take care of yourself. The world is a big, dangerous place… For as many beauties there are, there are just as many dangers. And I’m not always going to be able to be around to protect you. Something big is going to be happening. I don’t know what it is or when, but I can feel it, and I need you to be prepared. Just in case… Do you understand? _

_ Yes, Maman. I understand. I’ll… I’ll try my best. _

_ I know you will. And just remember, I’ll always love you, Matthew. _

_ I love you too, Maman. _


	2. 1

Lovino had finally managed to escape the lab, but he had paid dearly for it. The dark-haired Italian fae had just enough energy left to hide his wings and pointed ears before he collapsed into a shivering heap beside some waste bins just off one of the main streets.

It was cold out, and being a fire fairy, cold was the last thing he needed. Sadly, no one in this God forsaken town, aside from a trash collection machine or maybe a few cats, would probably ever glance in the direction of the bins where he was.

Matthew let out a deep breath as he walked down the street, watching his breath form in the cold air. He always preferred taking these walks instead of driving. It made him feel more connected to the actual earth somehow. He enjoyed being outside more than most people thought was natural considering all of the so-called luxuries that were provided by the technology of this era.

Sighing, he kicked a rock along, accidentally hitting it too hard one time and sending it into one of the side areas that held waste bins. Watching the rock hit the wall, his attention became focused on something that was on the ground near the bins. His eyes widened when he realized that it was a body, immediately rushing over and kneeling down next to the person, realizing how bad of shape they were in on closer inspection.

"Oh...oh mon dieu..." He hesitantly reached out a hand to place it on the dark-haired male's arm, but he stopped himself. "U-Umm...pardon, monsieur?" he asked quietly, concern filling his voice.

There was a soft groan heard as Lovino barely managed to crack his hazel eyes open to peer up at the human that was leaning over him. His first instinct was to run, to get the hell as far from the dangerous being as possible, but he wasn't in any shape to move.

He slowly blinked once before giving up on trying to stay awake. It was too fucking cold and he'd been though too much pain, suffering, and stress to be able to do more than stare up at the man briefly, his mind not quite functioning properly. His eyes slipped back shut and he went limp as his consciousness left him.

When he saw the male's body go limp, Matthew struggled not to panic, taking in deep breaths of cold air to calm his nerves. Reaching out, he placed his fingers against the side of the dark-haired male's throat, breathing out a sigh of relief when he felt a pulse. "Thank dieu," he murmured, taking off his coat.

Biting his lip to keep his teeth from chattering at the sudden loss of warmth, he moved the other male into a sitting position in order to put the coat on him. Taking a deep breath, he put one arm under his knees, the other behind his back, and lifted the male up before carrying him down the street as fast as he could without jostling the stranger too much, heading toward the Canadian's home.

Lovino instinctively curled into the sense of warmth the Canadian offered. It was only natural that he seek out warmth. It was vital to his survival as a fire fairy, after all. He started shivering slightly as his body tried to make its own warmth. His breath was a bit shallow, but still showed slightly on the cold air as he was carried to somewhere he didn't know.

Matthew shifted the other in his arms, pulling the male closer against him in order to share his body heat. He had no clue how long the other male had been out in the cold, but it must of been for quite a while. Swallowing thickly, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw his home coming up, causing him to pick up his pace. He was panting by the time he reached the front door, the cold air making his chest ache as he sniffled slightly, stepping inside the building when the door opened.

The Canadian let out a sigh as warmth washed over him, the door closing behind him. He immediately carried the dark-haired male to the bedroom, laying him down gently on the bed before walking over to the closet and pulling out several heavy, warm blankets that he placed atop of the male. Matthew bit his lip as he looked down at him, his eyebrows furrowing in concern before going and sitting in the chair at his desk to wait for the male to wake up.

Lovino continued to shiver for a bit under the blankets until he was once again warm enough to relax into the warmth of the bed. After a bit more time, he groaned and shifted under the blankets a bit before blinking awake. As he realized he was in an unfamiliar place, he started to fight against the heaps of blankets on him in an attempt to escape whatever was restraining him. He was frantic to escape, still caught in the nightmare he had actually lived for some time before escaping from the lab.

Matthew had nearly fallen asleep in his chair before he heard movement coming from the bed. His head shot up when he realized that the other male must be awake. He quickly got out of the chair, approaching the bedside hesitantly as he held his hands up in front of himself in what he hoped seemed like an unthreatening fashion.

"U-Umm... H-Hey... Don't move around like that. You'll get hurt more than you already are. You're safe here, okay? I'm… I found you outside and you were cold and hurt, s-so I carried you to my house...umm..." He bit his lip, worried about the dark-haired male's reaction when he woke up. "I-I don't know what happened to you, but I promise I won't hurt you, alright?" he murmured, taking a tentative step towards the male.

Lovino's breath was a bit ragged and there was a bit of a feral glint to his unusually bright hazel eyes. At the sound of the Canadian man's voice, he froze and turned his eyes on the blonde. He met violet eyes with hazel before visibly relaxing slightly. "Why? Why are you helping me?" There was a hint of distrust in the Italian's voice. In his personal experience the only reason a human would show interest in him was if they expected something in return.

Matthew blinked in surprise. "Why wouldn't I? You were hurt and cold. I couldn't just leave you out in the cold to possibly die," he murmured, furrowing his eyebrows in concern as he tucked a few strands of his blonde hair behind his ear. "It was the right thing to do. There are such things as morals, you know..." He trailed off, biting his lip as he looked away from the man's hazel eyes. "I'm sorry. Umm...my name's Matthew, by the way..."

Lovino arched an eyebrow as he listened to the blonde's explanation. He knew of morals; he just didn't realize that any humans still considered them all that important. He paused for a moment before divulging just a small bit of information to the seemingly harmless and rather nervous-looking blonde. "You can call me Lovino." He started to try and sit up again only to be held back by the damnable heap of blankets. "Let me up," he half-way growled.

Matthew nodded, moving over to him and helping pull the blankets off. "Sorry about that, Lovino. I wasn't...really sure what to do..." he murmured softly when he got the last blanket off of him, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he took a couple steps away from the bed. "Umm...I could show you to the bathroom if you want to take a hot shower or bath, while I make some food and get a first-aid kit or something..." He bit his lip as he fiddled with the edge of his shirt.

Lovino hesitantly sat up before nodding. "A hot bath sounds nice." The thought of soaking in almost boiling water sounded almost heavenly to the still slightly-chilled fae. It would give him a chance to take stock of his injuries and wash away the fine layer of dirt that covered him and his badly tattered clothing. He rubbed his wrists lightly where there were red marks. "Maybe the first aid kit after..."

"Of course. And you can borrow some of my clothing too, since we're probably about the same size..." he murmured, looking over the male slightly before biting his lip and turning around to the closet, taking a couple of the blankets with him to return to the closet before taking out a couple of sets of warm clothing.

He turned back to Lovino. "Umm...if you could follow me...I'll show you to the bathroom," he murmured. "The first-aid kit is under the sink. And umm..." he hesitated before continuing. "If you need any help with taking care of any of your wounds, just call for me..."

Lovino shakily stood up from the bed. He swayed slightly at the light-headedness that assaulted him briefly, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it. He cautiously approached the blonde. "Umm... Grazie..." He mumbled before huffing softly. "Well, lead the way."

Matthew simply nodded, concern filling his eyes as he led the other down the hallway and stopping in front of a door that he promptly opened. Stepping inside, he placed the clothes on the counter by the sink before opening the cabinet underneath and pulling out the first-aid kit which he also placed on the counter. He turned to Lovino. "I'll just leave you to it, I guess..." he murmured, heading to the door. However, the blonde paused for a moment before looking back over his shoulder. "Is there any type of food in particular that you would like?" he asked softly.

Lovino shrugged. "Nothing with meat in it..." He moved slowly to inspect how the bath worked. It was a bit more advanced than the standard clawfooted tub he had been hoping for. He managed to figure out the contraption before turning the water on and filling the tub with steaming hot water that would make most people flinch back and add ice to it.

As soon as the blonde shut the door, he stripped off the rags he was wearing and sank with a groan into scalding water, savoring the way the heat seemed to invigorate his body. He sank down into the bathwater up to his neck as he soaked a bit, almost dozing off at the comforting sensation.


	3. 2

"Alright," Matthew murmured to himself, heading to the kitchen. The Canadian pulled on the apron that was placed on the counter before heading over to the cabinets and taking out ingredients to make pancakes.

Most people found it weird that he preferred to cook almost everything himself instead of letting machines do the cooking for him. However, to the Canadian, cooking was almost like a lost art. The food was more flavorful and didn't have that slightly metallic aftertaste that food made by the machines usually ended up having.

Humming quietly to himself while he worked, he ended up making two tall stacks of pancakes, carrying them to the table, along with a bottle of Canadian maple syrup, while the kitchen was being cleaned.

Lovino soaked in the bath a bit longer, scrubbing away the dirt and dunking himself completely under for a few seconds. He finally drained the water and stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist as the scent of food wafted throughout the house. His mouth was watering as he pulled on the clothes that the Canadian had left for him. They were a bit baggy on him, but the length was about right.

He used some of the supplies in the first aid kit to wrap some bandages around his wrists and ankles where they were tender and a bit raw from his time in captivity. He then exited the bathroom, his hair still a bit damp and cautiously followed the sweet smell to Matthew's kitchen. He stayed in the doorway watching the blonde with a wary eye for a minute.

As Matthew placed the food on the table, he noticed Lovino standing in the doorway. He offered a reassuring smile to the Italian, wiping his hands off on the front of his apron. "You're welcome to come in, Lovino," the Canadian murmured, glad to see that he was looking a bit better after his bath. "May I get you something to drink?" he asked as he untied the apron, draping it over his arm as he looked at Lovino expectantly.

Lovino moved to the table and sat down in behind one of the stacks of pancakes. He tilted his head at Matthew's question before murmuring, "Just water..." He paused. "Or milk if you have it..." The Italian looked at the utensils that had been offered to eat with before rather hesitantly picking up the fork. He relaxed a bit as he realized that it was stainless steel. He could put up with it for a bit.

He didn't waste any time before taking a tentative bite of the stack of pancakes. As soon as he was sure they were safe, he rather enthusiastically dug into them. It had been a long time since he'd had something to eat that didn't taste like metal.

Matthew smiled as he watched the Italian for a moment before heading to the refrigerator, depositing the apron in a hamper on the way. Taking two glass cups from the cabinet, he poured milk into both of them before carrying them to the table, setting one in front of Lovino and the other in front of his own plate. Sitting down, he tucked a couple of strands of hair behind his ear before taking the jar of maple syrup and pouring the sweet golden liquid on top of his stack of pancakes.

Matthew took his fork and cut into the fluffy pancakes, putting a piece into his mouth as he hummed in satisfaction at the taste. "I'll never be able to understand why some people prefer machine-made food," he murmured, clucking his tongue slightly. Looking over at Lovino, he said quietly, "I hope this was alright."

Lovino looked at the milk before sipping it like it was a fine wine. He could never understand it, but milk was just something that helped calm him. It had a similar effect on most faeries. There was a reason that so many stories about fairies that stole milk used to be popular in the dark ages. More than likely, they were based on that fact. The Italian continued to eat his pancakes with a definite disregard of table manners.

As he swallowed a large bite, he nodded. "It's not half bad. You made it?" He was a bit amazed that there were humans that actually cooked for themselves. Most were completely satisfied with food that, in his opinion, tasted like poison from the iron residue the machines left behind.

Matthew smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah," he murmured, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I...like cooking my meals myself..." He looked down at his plate, taking another bite of pancakes. "I've never liked the taste of the food that machines make, even when I was younger. I mean, who can enjoy food when it has that god-awful metallic taste to it." He shook his head, taking a drink of his own milk. "Even a lot of the supposedly fresh produce is being tainted, which is why I've started growing a lot of it myself in the greenhouse that I have out back. Most people think that I'm crazy for doing stuff that's been so...outdated for decades now, but I find it enjoyable. You really only get one chance at life, and I want to spend mine not caught up in such a fast-paced society. Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I think it's more...rewarding to be able to work hard and be able to reap the benefits yourself and enjoy the...fruits of your labor, so to say, than to let everything be done for you. Or at least, that's my belief," he said with a smile. His eyes widened slightly as he looked up apologetically at the other male. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble on like that," he murmured, continuing to eat his pancakes, his cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment.

As the blonde rambled about how wonderful nature was, he couldn't help but be pleased that at least this human wasn't relying solely on the metal contraptions that so many were. By the time Matthew stopped talking, he was seeing the man in a bit of a new light. Lovino smirked slightly. "It's not outdated. There are still quite a few people in the world who live without those clanking, metal contraptions." He paused for a moment as another set of Matthew's words sank in. He looked a bit, awed, as he asked. "You actually have a greenhouse?"

"I wish I could meet some of them," Matthew mumbled quietly, staring at his plate while he ate. Lifting his fork to his mouth with another bite, he paused, looking at the Italian when he asked his question. "U-Umm, yeah. I built it myself based off of a design that I found in a book when I was a teenager. It's actually really nice and fairly big and always warm inside. I had to add a few changes from the original design to make it more effective. But since it gets pretty cold in this part of the country, especially during winter, I thought it would be a good idea to make a greenhouse. That way none of the plants die, and I don't have to actually go out and buy food from the stores," he murmured, wrinkling his nose slightly before looking over at Lovino. "I could show it to you sometime later once you've rested if you would like?"

Lovino nodded slowly. "That's not a bad idea." His mind was wandering slightly as he thought of the warmth that would be in a greenhouse. "There's nothing better than food thats never been touched by a machine..." He murmured. When the blonde mentioned rest, he looked up at the Canadian and tilted his head. "I'm not taking your bed, am I?" He didn't want to owe the Canadian more than he already did.

Matthew shook his head slowly as he finished the last bite of his pancakes. "I have a guest room that you can stay in. Normally my brother stays there when he visits but..." He trailed off before taking a sip of milk, his hand shaking slightly as he put the glass back down. "We had a falling out a few years ago whenever he got his..._ job _," he air-quoted the word, a scowl on his face, "and so he's stopped visiting ever since. And I'm glad that he has. True, it gets lonely here, but it's not like I've ever really had any friends to begin with, so I'm...kind of used to it..." He took another sip of milk, looking out the window with a small frown on his face before turning to Lovino with an apologetic look. "There I go. Rambling again. Sorry," he said with a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Umm...if you're finished, I'll take your plate and silverware, if you'd like?"

Lovino glanced down. He knew about fights with family. Part of the reason he wound up in the lab was because he'd run away from the home he shared with his brother. "_ Dispiace _... I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..." He pushed the plate across the table. He'd finished the pancakes several moments before. He continued to sip at the milk though.

Matthew stood up, taking the plates from the table. He smiled over at the Italian. "It's alright, Lovino. I mean, there's no way that you could have known, so please don't feel that you have to apologize." He smiled again, before going and placing the plates in the sink. The Canadian walked over to the window near the table, looking out at the sky with his hands in his pockets. Humming in thought, he murmured softly, "It looks like it's going to begin snowing soon..."

Lovino made his way over to look out the window. His frown deepened as he realized the Canuck was right. "_ Merda _... I fucking hate snow." He shivered slightly just at the thought of the cold flakes. "I prefer somewhere warm where there's no chance of me freezing to death..." He mumbled the words more to himself than the blonde beside him.

Matthew turned to look at the Italian with a curious expression as he leaned against the wall. "You're welcome to stay here with me until the weather begins to warm." He blushed lightly as he looked down, twirling his fingers. "I mean, that is, if you don't have anywhere else to stay, and umm, if you want to. I won't force you to stay if you don't want to. I'm just saying that the offers there," he murmured, biting his lip as he pushed off the wall, beginning to head toward his bedroom.

Lovino stared out the window a second longer before nodding. "Alright. I'll take you up on the offer. It's not like I'm crazy about going out into the cold anyway." He folded his arms over his chest. " So, where's the guestroom you were talking about?"

Matthew turned his head to the Italian with a soft smile. "It's right across the hall from my room," he murmured. "And feel free to help yourself to anything in the house while you're staying here. Just be careful with the books that I have that are in the study if you choose to read them. They're really old and delicate. Other than that, you have free reign to the whole house and the greenhouse." Matthew glanced at the clock. "But it is getting kind of late, so I'm going to head off to bed. So...good night, Lovino," he murmured, lifting his hand in a wave before heading off down the hallway and into his bedroom.

Lovino tilted his head slightly as he listened to the blonde and, as Matthew left the room, he murmured, "_ Buonna notte _." He stood by the window a little longer until he saw the snow start to fall. He then quickly made his way to the bedroom he'd been offered.

He had to admit that he was a bit surprised. There wasn't really that much technology in Matthew's home at all by the looks of it. As he curled up under the sheets, he sighed softly. He'd have to come up with some way to repay the man for saving his life. He didn't have a choice in the matter as it was a fae rule. He grumbled softly to himself before falling asleep.

Matthew was in the process of changing clothes when he heard the door to the guest room close, a small smile spreading across the Canadian's face. He was glad that Lovino had recovered so quickly since he had found him. However, Matthew was concerned about how the Italian had ended up in that state in the first place. Shaking his head with a sigh as he curled up under the blankets, he figured that Lovino would probably tell him once he became a bit more adjusted, but it was alright if he didn't want to tell. The Canadian wasn't going to force him or pry the information from him. With a soft sigh, the Canadian quickly fell into a deep slumber that seemed to end too soon as the first rays of morning peeked in between the curtains of the window in the Canadian's room.


	4. 3

Groaning quietly, Matthew rolled out of bed, popping his back as he stretched before heading to the closet. He pulled out a red t-shirt and some overalls that he switched into before pulling on a pair of knee-high socks. He quietly exited his room and headed to the kitchen, taking a bowl of fresh fruit out of the refrigerator and placing it on the counter. Taking an apple and a handful of grapes, he went to the window, a small smile on his face when he saw that it had indeed snowed last night. Quite a bit by the looks of it. The Canadian hummed quietly to himself as he popped a grape into his mouth, watching the sun rise, the light playing on the fresh powder outside.

Lovino slept quite well between the soft cotton sheets in the guest room. Around two hours after sunrise, he finally dragged himself out of bed. It was hunger that woke him. At some point during the night he had subconsciously tossed his shirt aside, something about the way the shirt fit made him uncomfortable. Without thinking twice in his groggy morning mindset, he made his way quietly down to the kitchen, not bothering to hide the marks on his back. They resembled an intricate deep red tattoo that abstractly looked like insect wings.

He walked into the room and spotted the fruit. He grabbed an apple and bit into it before making a strange face. It was still cold from being in the refrigerator and he had a natural dislike for cold things. He sighed and leaned down slightly, putting his hands on the counter and staring with distaste at the fruit.

Matthew turned around from watching the sunlight sparkle on the freshly fallen snow. He was holding a mug of freshly made hot chocolate in his hands that he had made after finishing off his apple and a couple more handfuls of grapes. The Canadian chuckled softly, a light flush on his face as he watched the shirtless Italian. He quietly sipped at the sweet beverage in his hands as he leaned against the wall. "You don't like anything that's cold, do you, eh?" he asked with a light laugh, a grin on his face.

Lovino grunted softly in reply. He was still half asleep on his feet. "...hate the fucking cold..." He muttered. He looked at the Canadian and his eyes seemed to finally focus on the steam that was rising from the mug in the blonde's hands. His gaze then darted around the kitchen to see if there just happened to be a spare serving of the warm liquid. He preferred coffee, but as long as it was warm, he would probably drink anything in the mornings.

Matthew giggled softly as he watched the still tired Italian look around the kitchen. "It sort of makes me wonder what you're doing in such a cold climate if you hate it that much, eh," he murmured to himself, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. He took another small sip of the beverage before nodding to the counter behind Lovino. "There's some more hot chocolate in the thermos right there by the sink. There's also some coffee made up in the coffee pot over there. I didn't know which you would prefer so I made both." He paused for a moment. "And good morning, by the way," he added softly, a grin on his face that he hid behind the rim of the mug he was holding.

Lovino immediately made a beeline for the coffee pot. After filling a mug full of the steaming black liquid he almost immediately took a long sip, not even flinching in the slightest at the heat. " _ Grazie al cielo _ ..." He murmured as he held the mug in both hands and felt the warmth sink into the pit of his stomach. After giving the caffeine a moment to take its proper effect. He glanced up at the Canadian and mumbled. "Ah.  _ Buongiorno _ ..." He took another sip of his coffee before answering the blonde's question. "I didn't want to fucking come here. I just wound up here through coincidence..."

Matthew blinked at the Italian, his words taking a while to set in since the Canadian's mind was preoccupied with the sight he'd just seen as the brunette had made his way to the coffee pot. There were markings on his back...A tattoo probably, in the shape of... "Wings..." he murmured, absent-mindedly under his breath. Matthew shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze. "Oh, um, yes, of-- of course you wouldn't come here on purpose..." he murmured, tilting his head to the side before pushing off the wall and turning around, staring out the window with a slight frown on his face that he tried his best to hide as he continued to sip at his beverage.

Lovino tensed slightly at the word "wings". His mind finally registered that he wasn't wearing a shirt and had probably just broken his cover as a faery by letting the Canadian see his mark. He shifted a bit nervously at the blonde's next words. He interpreted them differently than they were meant and began worrying Matthew would try and return him to the lab he'd escaped from. He hastily finished his coffee before studying the Canadian's body language for any sign he might be thinking of attacking or betraying him. He waited a moment before breaking the silence. "Where the hell is this anyway?"

Matthew turned slightly, leaning his shoulder against the wall, raising a curious eyebrow. "You're in Canada, near the Canadian-American border in Quebec." He paused before continuing. "I assume that you're from Italy, since you speak the language and that." The blonde chewed on his lip in thought before speaking. "On your back...the tattoo...it's really pretty," he murmured with a gentle smile, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "It looks almost like...butterfly wings," he murmured with a wistful expression. "I have lots of butterflies in the greenhouse, since they're pollinators and help the plants. I wish I could get some hummingbirds, but...." he shrugged, a small sigh escaping his lips. "They don't really belong this far up north, and it would mess up their natural instincts and migration pattern and everything else." He stared out at the clear sky, the sun in full view, placing a hand on the window.

Lovino paled slightly. He hadn't thought he'd been brought this far. When he'd been kidnapped, he was actually in a small mage village in Sicily visiting a cousin. " _ Merda _ . Quebec?" He relaxed slightly as he realized the Canadian hadn't put two and two together about his species difference. Maybe his disguise was better than he thought. He blushed faintly as his mark was complimented though. Not many of the fae thought the same. Fire fae were a rarity and just seeing his red mark was enough to frighten away most of his own kind. Lovino raised an eyebrow as he heard Matthew actually show verbal concern for the birds. Most humans would have simply captured the birds regardless of how it affected them. "You're a strange hu- ah, person, you know that?" He managed to catch himself before he called Matthew  _ human _ . It would have been a mistake that would raise questions. Humans said  _ person  _ to refer to each other. He knew that.

Matthew chuckled lightly. "Yes. I suppose I am. Everyone has their own eccentricities and quirks though. It's what makes us unique and different from everyone else. We weren't born as carbon copies, so why do people choose to live their lives that way?" he asked rhetorically with a small sigh, dropping his hand down to his side before placing it in his pocket as he finished off the last of his drink that had cooled considerably by the time it was finished.

Lovino shrugged. He'd decided the Candian wasn't too much of a threat. He decided to carry along the blonde's comments and ask a bit of a question of his own. "You really are odd. You're probably the type to be an activist in favor of the magical creature population having equal rights to humans, aren't you?" He knew he was risking a bit in asking that question. Rights for humanoid magical creatures was a rather hot debate topic world wide lately. But most humans turned a blind eye to the topic in favor of not being seen as someone that wanted to stir up trouble in what was, for humans, a very comfortable scenario. As long as they had their convenient machinery and technology, they couldn't care less about the beings that suffered because of it. Lovino set a cool gaze on Matthew as he waited to see how the human would answer.

Matthew blushed slightly, pushing a couple of locks of blonde hair behind his ear. "Umm, yeah, actually, I am. That's the whole reason why my brother and I had our falling out, actually," he murmured, looking at the empty mug in his hand. "He had gotten a job at one of the labs in a nearby city across the border in America. When he visited, he was telling me all about it and some of the different experiments that they were doing and it..." Matthew turned slightly green at the thought, shaking his head as he struggled to regain his composure. "It's not right... Magic and science are at two completely different ends of the spectrum. Science isn't the answer to everything, despite what many humans think. I mean, I've never met a magical creature personally, but they're living beings. They have just as much right to be free as humans do, perhaps more so because of all of the injustices done to them over the course of time. Even if they are different from humans, there are still some things that are the same. We're alive, we have emotions, we have families, and culture, and societies, and it's just..... I don't understand why humans have to act like they're superior to everyone when they aren't.... It's just stupid and petty and....I-I just wish humans would stop being so blinded by their own wants and selfish goals and realize the harm that they're causing to others around them....and I wish there was something that I could do about it.... I just don't know what I  _ could  _ do..." he trailed off, slumping his shoulders with a defeated sigh, his eyes dulling slightly as he stared at the floor.

Lovino blinked in shock. He hadn't thought the rather quite Canadian capable of a rant like that. He was silent for a moment. "If it fucking means anything to you, I agree with every damn thing you just said. You sound more like a mage than the average human. It's..." He thought for a moment how to word what he was trying to say. "It's refreshing to see humans thinking like that."

Matthew looked up at the Italian, his eyebrows raised. "Really?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face as he closed his eyes. "I'm glad I break the mold of what an 'average human' is." He brought his hand up to his mouth as he chuckled softly. "I mean, just think about it. The world would be a much nicer place if everyone between species would get along. A world where everyone can be happy and free and be at peace... That's my dream..." He blushed lightly. "Of course, I know it won't be achieved anytime during my lifetime, or even possibly ever, but...it's still a nice ideal to think about." He closed his eyes, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes and back. "Hmm...A mage?...I don't know...Do you think I could be one, eh?" he asked, opening his eyes and locking his violet gaze to Lovino's.

Lovino snorted softly. "You're probably right about your dream. There just aren't enough people working towards equality." He tensed as he met Matthew's gaze with his hazel one. He tilted his head with a bit of a smirk. "You're probably not a mage unless you've already discovered it. Most mages figure it out by the time they're twelve years old...." He stared into Matthew's eyes a bit entranced by the shade of violet. "Then again, most mages have unusual eye color." He mused. "Have you ever used magic before?" He pried his gaze away from Matthew's.

Matthew blinked slightly, tilting his head to the side with a contemplative look on his face. Chewing on his lip, he walked over and placed his mug in the sink. "I'm...not sure. I don't think so. Unless having a green thumb and animals liking me is magic then I doubt it," he said with a small laugh, hopping up onto the counter, swinging his legs slightly. "I mean, I'm twenty-two right now, so that's quite a bit of an age difference from twelve." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck before shrugging before looking at the Italian curiously. "You seem to know quite a lot about mages... Are you a mage yourself?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Lovino shrugged. " You might have a hint of natural magic in you then. Just not enough to wield it." He bit his lip a bit at Matthew's question. "No. I'm not a mage." He admitted. "I know some from back home in Italy though." He deliberated on telling the blonde he could still use magic though.

Matthew grinned, closing his eyes as he let out a soft hum. "Oh, that's cool. I bet you miss your home and family there..." he murmured, trailing off as he stared at the floor. The Canadian's gaze drifted to the counter behind the Italian that the partially eaten apple was still sitting on. His eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face as he hopped off the counter. "If you want I can take you to the greenhouse. You can get a warm apple there, seeing as how you hate cold food." The blonde chuckled softly. "Plus there's no better taste than an apple fresh picked off the tree."

Lovino looked down a bit. " _ Si. Mio fratellino _ probably thinks I'm not going to come back though... We had a fight before I left home...." He sighed and was quiet for a moment before nodding. "I'd like to see your greenhouse. It probably a lot warmer than anywhere else.”

Matthew hummed, contemplating his guest's predicament.  _ Maybe I can help him get home somehow... _ he thought to himself. Turning to Lovino, he murmured, "You know, if you're cold then you can just turn the thermostat up. But sure," he murmured with a grin, pushing a couple of locks of blonde hair behind his ear. "I'll show you. The greenhouse covers about a...half acre of land, I believe, and there isn't just the different fruits and vegetables growing there. There's also lots of different types of flowers; those mainly grow along the perimeter near the walls," he explained as he led the Italian down the hallway.

"There's a fairly big pond in the center; the water's always nice and warm. Ummm, there's the apple and cherry trees that sort of circle the pond, along with the grapevines, strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry bushes that are sort of more concentrated towards the western side of the greenhouse, while the tomatoes, squash, green beans, potatoes, cabbages, cauliflower, and....ummm....there was something else, I think...." he paused, tapping his finger against his chin. "Ah, well, those are all on the eastern side, while the different herbs are located near the north, and the entrance that leads to the house is on the southern end, and that's mainly just grass and bushes and flowers," he finished explaining as they reached a door at the end of the hallway. Matthew opened the door, revealing a covered walkway that was surrounded by glass, snow piled up about two feet deep against the glass which was fogged over from the heat inside the walkway.

At the end of said walkway, there was another doorway. Tilting his head toward the door, Matthew turned toward Lovino, a smile on his face. "The greenhouse is just on the other side of that door."

Lovino's eyes widened in pure amazement at the way technology had been used to actually help nature. To be honest, he had been expecting to bundle up to extreme levels and trudge through the snow out to a tiny little glass house. He wasn't expecting anything near as large as the paradise the Canadian had just described. " _ Dio _ ..." He murmured. " You really do like nature..." He tilted his head slightly, making sure it was okay before pushing open the door to the greenhouse. He froze in the doorway at the sight.

It was much grander than the way the blonde had described. He walked over to one of the plants and lightly brushed his fingers over the leaves. He had missed seeing actual green things growing. It had been almost a year since he'd been captured, after all. He walked through the garden, almost like he was in a trance. The warm air was invigorating to both his body and spirit. As he neared the tomato plants, he hesitantly reached out and plucked one of the plump, red fruits from the bush and brought it to his lips. The action caused several of the butterflies that had been perched on the plant to flutter into the air before settling on the Italian's hair and shoulders, although the brunette didn't seem fazed in the least.

Matthew smiled as he watched the Italian for a few moments before sitting down. He took off his socks, rolling up the legs of his overalls to about mid-calf. Standing up, he crossed his arms over his abdomen as he wiggled his toes around in the slightly damp grass, enjoying the feeling. Looking back over at the Italian, the Canadian giggled when he saw all of the butterflies perched on the brunette, a soft smile gracing his lips. The blonde's gaze was soon drawn to the intricate deep red tattoo that was on Lovino's back.

Matthew really did think that it was beautiful and somehow fit the Italian perfectly. Smiling, he was distracted from his thoughts as a group of butterflies fluttered around him. Several of the larger ones landed on his head and the back of his shirt while some of the smaller ones landed on his arms and the front of his shirt. Matthew giggled softly as he gently padded over to where Lovino was standing, careful not to disturb the butterflies that were residing on the both of them. "It's good, isn't it?" he whispered with a gentle smile when he saw that he was eating one of the tomatoes.

"Si. Its not bad for a greenhouse grown tomato." The Italian shook his head lightly, causing the butterflies on his head to lift in to the air. "Lazy little bastards. The ones back home are the same way." he looked at Matthew and smirked as some of the butterflies joined the ones already on the blonde. "You weren't joking when you said animals liked you." He gave a soft huff that could have almost been a laugh and reached up to shoo a few of them off. "They must think you're a damn flower or something. You shouldn't encourage them. They'll get spoiled."

A soft blush dusted across the Canadian's cheeks as he looked out over the greenhouse, letting the Italian shoo some of the butterflies away. A soft laugh left his lips. "I don't know. I think it might be a little too late for that. Every time I wake up from a nap, I'm nearly coated head to toe with butterflies." He let out another giggle before turning toward Lovino. "I don't mind at any rate," he murmured, reaching his hand up to a large butterfly that had settled on the Italian's shoulder. The tips of his fingers lightly brushed against the brunette's skin as Matthew coaxed the butterfly onto his finger before turning around to place the butterfly on the tomato plant, hiding his blush in the process. Once the Canadian had quelled his blush for the most part, he looked over at Lovino. "Umm...do you want to go sit by the pond?" he asked softly.

Lovino rolled his eyes. "You're definitely one of a damn kind. Hopelessly too kind for your own good" He huffed and lightly swatted at the returning butterflies. "You said the water in the pond was warm, right?" he thought that if the water was warm enough, he might just be tempted to take a dip sometime in the future. He made his way over to the pond and sat down in the grass, flopping back to stare at the lightly steamed over view of the sky overhead.

Matthew nodded as he followed Lovino over to the pond. The Canadian sat down near the water's edge, dipping his feet in the warm water. He sat in silence for a while, contemplating the Italian's words. "I don't know if I would say that I'm too kind..." he murmured. Looking over his shoulder at the brunette, he said, "I have a question for you..." He paused for a moment. "If I was able to find a way to get you back home...to Italy...would you like to go back?" Matthew returned his gaze to the water in front of him, looking at his reflection in the rippling surface.


	5. 4

Lovino looked over at the Canadian, a bit awed at the man's words. "I can't go back yet... I still have a bit of business to deal with here..." He sighed. "But once that's finished, I'd probably go back. My brother probably misses me." He sat up and pulled his knees against his chest. "I still say you're too damn nice to be human..."

The Canadian smiled softly, trailing his fingers along the surface of the pond, watching the ripples distort the reflections that were on the surface before returning to normal. "Alright... And it would probably be best to put off traveling until spring comes at any rate. That way it would be at least a bit warmer." He turned to look at the Italian, crossing his legs in the grass. "Is it really such a bad thing that I'm so nice?"

Lovino shrugged. "Its not a bad thing. It just makes it seem like you'd be the type to be used by someone and never even realize it." He rested his chin on his knees. "But, waiting until spring doesn't seem like a bad idea." He sighed as he looked out across the water, wondering if he should tell the Canadian the truth about why he had to stay or wait a bit longer.

Looking up at the sky, Matthew sighed quietly, deciding not to comment. He laid down in the grass, some of it tickling his cheek and legs. Placing his hand over his eyes, it wasn't but a few moments later that he felt the small tingling sensation of insect legs against the back of his hand. Carefully removing his hand from across his eyes, he stretched his arm out, watching the large red butterfly crawl across his skin before fluttering down to land on his nose. Matthew smiled gently as a few other butterflies fluttered slowly over to the Canadian, landing on him.

Lovino sat, mulling over his thoughts a bit longer before returning his focus to the world around him. He frowned slightly as he realized that, not only was the Canadian in the grass beside him becoming a perch for the butterflies, but he was as well. The fact that a butterfly landed on his rather...sensitive…hair curl was the last straw though. With an irritated growl, he stood up and shook of the butterflies as the air around him became warmer than it had been. "Alright, you stupid wannabes... clear the fuck off!" The insects scattered for the surrounding trees.

The Canadian started at the sudden outburst by the Italian, his eyes going wide. Propping himself up on an elbow, he looked up at the brunette with concern as he reached his hand out toward the standing male. "Lovino, just calm...." Matthew trailed off as he noticed the shift in temperature around the male. Swiftly withdrawing his hand from near Lovino's leg, he sat all the way up, pulling his knees to his chest as he crossed his arms over his abdomen.

The Canadian rested his chin on his knees, keeping his expression unusually blank. "Just calm down, okay, eh? They're just butterflies. They don't mean any harm," he murmured, staring at the ground without really looking at it. The Canadian was still trying to process what exactly had happened and figure out what had set the Italian off. His hand still tingled from the abnormal warmth he had felt surrounding the brunette.

Lovino huffed, and after a moment, the heat went back to same level as the rest of the air in the greenhouse. "_ Dispiace _. The little bastards have always enjoyed irritating the hell out of me. Even back home. They think they're all that because they're all cute and fluttering. They don't even have good attitudes. Humans just assume they do..." He got quiet as he realized he probably sounded like a lunatic with the way he was ranting about butterflies to a human that thought he was a human.

Matthew listened quietly to the Italian, furrowing his eyebrows slightly. He was torn between amusement and confusion. He thought that the little rant that the Italian did was quite funny, and if he was honest about it, kind of cute. On the other hand...the brunette seemed to keep referring to humans as though he weren't one himself and coupled with the ability to change the temperature…

The Canadian inhaled sharply, his eyes widening slightly. Biting his lip, he glanced up at Lovino before forcing out a small laugh. "Well, we _ humans _ can't exactly speak butterfly, so we can't exactly know what they're saying, now can we, eh?" he murmured, putting an emphasis on the word _ human _. He laughed lightly, though it sounded a bit forced to his ears.

Lovino's eye widened at the Canadians words. "R-right. Humans can't." He looked down rather nervously. He could tell the blonde had figured him out, but, he wasn't exactly used to telling others what he was. In general, it was best to keep a low profile after all. He hung his head realizing he'd blown his cover. "Si. Exactly." He sighed. "Humans can't. You're right, Matthew" He rubbed his forefinger and thumb together, a small flame appearing after a moment he stared at it as he waited for the Canadian to speak again.

Matthew covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile, though he was certain that his eyes shined with mirth. Taking a deep breath, he kept his face carefully expressionless as he stood up, facing the Italian fae. A wide smile spread across his face as he watched Lovino. "Well you don't have to look so glum aboot it. You did a fairly good job at acting human," he murmured with a giggle. His smile fell after a moment. "I take it that when I found you you had escaped from one of those labs."

Determination shined in his eyes. "That only makes me even more happy that it was me whom found you. You are more than welcome to stay here." He tilted his head to the side with closed eyes, a bright smile on his face. "Let's try this again... Hi. My name's Matthew. I'm a crazy, eccentric human that loves nature, cooking, and world peace," he murmured, holding out his hand toward the Italian.

Lovino stared up at Matthew for a moment, a look of utter disbelief showing on his face. He extinguished the flame dancing in his fingers and heaved a sigh before standing up. He tilted his head to the side and looked Matthew over. He gave a humored smirk and snorted. "You really are one damn strange human..." He took Matthew's hand. "I'll play along. Ciao. The name's Lovino Vargas. I'm a badass Italian fire faery that owes you his life." He gave Matthew's hand a squeeze before releasing it and walked over to stand by one of the trees, leaning back against the trunk. "I'm guessing you have plenty of damn questions, si?"

Matthew walked over and sat down on the ground a few feet in front of the fire faery, resting his arms on his knees. There were quite a few things that he was curious about, but... He chewed on his lip in thought. There was one main thing that was nagging at his mind. "Only one right now..." He hesitated, fearing that he'd sound crazy for asking this of all things. "So...ummm...what do butterflies _ actually _say?" he asked with wide, innocently child-like eyes that sparkled with curiosity.

Lovino brought his hand up to his mouth to try and hide his smile, but after a moment, he broke down laughing. He sat down amongst the tree roots and took a minute to compose himself. "Of all the questions you could ask..." He looked up at the branches overhead. "Mostly they talk about food, what smells good, how pretty something looks, which others make good mates. They like to babble on and on about me because they see faery as their form of gods. And they’re stubborn about it. They constantly harass me." He flicked a small bit of smoke in the direction of a few butterflies that were lazily fluttering his direction. They fluttered away before it reached them. "The ones here like talking about you. You smell like sweet syrup so they wonder if you're some type of human flower..."

A dark blush stained the Canadian's cheeks by the time the Italian had finished. "That's...wow..." he murmured, at a loss for words. He added off to the side, "Maybe I should lay off the maple syrup..." Matthew shook his head in wonder, before biting his lip as another question formed in his mind. The question slipped off the tip of his tongue before he could restrain himself. "What do your wings look like?" He asked softly as his blush darkened a shade, causing the Canadian to look down at his hands. "I mean, you don't have to tell me or anything if you don't want to....I was just curious...."

Lovino smirked. "I thought that would have actually been your first question." He tilted his head to the side. "I guess I have the energy to shift...it's warm enough too..." He mumbled.

He stood up and walked toward the pond. He looked back over his shoulder to watch Matthew's reaction as the _ tattoo _on his back seemed to shimmer and peel away from the skin. The air in the spaces between the lines appeared to be filled with an almost see through opalescent and iridescent membrane that, as the wings moved in the light seemed to shift from red and orange to almost pink with hints of teal and green. His eyes seemed to have a bit of a deeper quality to them and his ears pointed slightly. He opened his mouth to reveal slightly more pointed teeth as he asked. "Well? Did that answer the question? This is what I really fucking look like."

Matthew shifted around, his gaze following the Italian curiously, though that curiosity was soon replaced with awe and amazement. He covered his mouth with his hand as his jaw dropped. The Italian had once again left him speechless. Matthew stood up, nodding vigorously as he looked over the Italian, giving him a soft smile. "Y-Yeah. You're...beautiful..." he murmured breathlessly, his eyes shining. Clearing his throat, he bowed slightly. "U-Umm, thank you. For showing me," he murmured, the smile remaining on his face. He hadn't been lying when he'd said it. He truly believed that Lovino was beautiful...perhaps the most beautiful person he'd ever seen, in his opinion.

Lovino blushed at the Canadian's praise. He honestly wasn't used to being called beautiful. Because he was a fire fairy, the colors of his wings showed that he was dangerous; the color of fire. Now that he'd show his true colors to the butterflies, they weren't trying to fly in his direction anymore either. They instinctively knew to be afraid. The Italian fae slowly made his way back over to the Canadian. "I'm not beautiful," he mumbled. "I'm a hazard. You humans are strange." He didn't bother shifting back as he sat down, knowing good and well that Matthew would probably want to study him. He just wasn't sure if it would be discretely or directly. "A question for a question." He mumbled. "You're not going to say this was all a joke and ship me back to the lab are you?"

Matthew swept his gaze over Lovino's wings one last time before looking him in the eye and maintaining eye contact. His question caught the Canadian slightly off-guard. He raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Everything that I've told you has been true. And I would never have you sent back to that hellhole. I'd have to be dead before I'd allow that to happen," he snorted softly. "And even then, I'd probably try to find some way to come back as a ghost or spirit or something in order to haunt the people at the lab and help set you free. You deserve your freedom, and you deserve to get back to your family," he murmured, a sad light flickering in the Canadian's eyes for a brief moment before disappearing. Hesitantly, Matthew reached out, placing his fingertips lightly against Lovino's skin above his heart. "You're a living being, and that's all that matters to me," he said softly, keeping his violet gaze locked with the Italian's eyes. "And you are beautiful, by the way." A small smile spread across his face. "Plus I thought that we already established that I'm strange." he muttered with a slight smirk.

Lovino's wings slumped slightly as the Canadian mentioned his family. He couldn't go home yet though. He smirked slightly after the Canadian finished speaking. "Si. I had my ass saved by one of the strangest humans on the planet." He rubbed the back of his neck as he added, "and for the next year, you're stuck with a foul mouthed fire fairy in exchange."

Matthew laughed softly, pushing a few strands of his blonde hair out of his face. "I'm sure that you'll be a much better house guest than my brother was. And in all truth," he murmured, a gentle smile on his face, "the language doesn't bother me." He chuckled, placing his hands on his lap. "So what do we do now?"

Lovino shrugged. "I don't really know.” He moved back over near the water and stretched out on his stomach in the grass. "We could just be fucking lazy and stay out here where it's warm..." He mused as he studied his reflection in the water. He spread his wings out so that he looked a bit like a giant butterfly, his wings moving lazily. He ran his fingers lightly through the water causing a pattern of ripples to spread across the water.

Matthew hummed softly, watching the faery for a few seconds with a small smile on his face. "That doesn't sound like too bad of an idea actually," he murmured, laying back in the grass. Placing his hands behind his head, he stared up at the sky through the fogged-over glass.

The sun had made it's way past it's zenith already, making its way into the afternoon hours. Matthew let out a long yawn, his eyelids drooping. Rolling over onto his side, he curled up slightly, resting his head on his arm. Another small yawn escaped his lips before he closed his eyes completely, snuggling closer against the ground. "Thank you," he said, in a nearly inaudible whisper before drifting off to sleep.

Lovino stared at the ripples he was creating in the water, the sky above merely appearing cloudy in the reflection. He glanced over at Matthew, watching as the blonde fell asleep. He tilted his head slightly at the Canadian's words. If his hearing hadn't been sharper when he was in his current form, he probably wouldn't have heard the simple thanks at all. He yawned after a bit as well and lazily rested his head on his folded arms. His wings drooped down so the tips brushed against the grass as he fell asleep, enjoying the best siesta he'd had in a while. Noticing him finally asleep, the butterflies once again fluttered down to rest in the grass around him and on the Canadian as well.


	6. 5

Matthew groaned slightly, his body feeling uncomfortably warmer than normal. He rolled over onto his back, though the feeling didn't dissipate. Several small shivers passed through his body, as his mind struggled to wake up and process what was happening.

Forcing his eyes open, two things caught his attention. The first was that it was sunset. The other… There were two or three butterflies resting on his hair curl. The Canadian's eyes snapped open, his face flushed darkly as he quickly stood up. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you not to land there!?" he growled out, narrowing his eyes as he shook the butterflies off of his body, shooing them away towards the trees.

Once they were gone, the Canadian plopped down in the grass, bringing his knees to his chest as his body shook slightly, breathing heavily as he muttered obscenities in French under his breath, not noticing that the Italian had woken up.

Lovino had woken up to the sound of the Canadian's outburst. He smirked slightly at the sight of the blonde giving the butterflies a proper scolding before tilting his head at the way Matthew was reacting. He recognized the signs of what had probably happened, having similar  _ problems  _ with his hair. He sat up and neatly folded his wings back before speaking up. "I warned you not to spoil them." He teased lightly.

The blonde took a few deep breaths as his body finally stopped shaking, though his cheeks were still stained scarlet. He rubbed his hand across his eyes with a groan. "Yeah, well, it's hard to do anything about them when I'm asleep. They probably think my reaction's funny and that's why they keep doing that." His shoulders slumped forward in defeat as he buried his face against his knees. "Sorry that I woke you up..."

Lovino shrugged and stood up, dusting a few stray bits of dirt from himself. "They just like the way it sways. The ones back home think it's a game when they do the same to me." He held out his hand to help Matthew up. "Let's go back to your house and get something to eat. It's getting late."

Matthew looked up before nodding and taking the proffered hand. Standing up, he brushed himself off, looking up at the sky for a few moments and stretching. Turning to the fae, he asked, "So what would you like to eat, eh? Besides something hot, obviously." He brought his hand up to his mouth as he brushed away a few strands of blonde hair that were stuck to the side of his face.

Lovino crossed his arms, before shifting back to his more human appearance, his wings melting back into a tattoo. He thought for a moment. "Do you have ingredients for pizza dough?" He asked. "I'll help cook if you do."

Matthew chewed on his lip, sticking his hands in his pockets. After a few moments, he nodded, looking back at the Italian. "I believe we do," he murmured, smiling. "And thanks," he added, walking towards the door of the greenhouse.

Lovino actually had a small smile on his lips at the thought of having fresh pizza for the first time in over a year. "I'll pick a few things out here that I'll need then." He remembered Matthew's directions and made his way up to the North end of the greenhouse.

A while later he returned with sprigs of basil and oregano along with some parsley. "I guess some of the older technologies have their benefits," he smirked slightly. "These normally wouldn't grow in this area." He picked a few tomatoes as well on his way back to the southern door and entered the kitchen while he waited on Matthew to gather the rest of the ingredients he would need. He nodded in approval as he saw the cutlery had wooden handles. "I’m going to make the best damn pizza you've ever had." He bragged. "Those pizzas that Americans like taste like crap."

Matthew grinned as he gathered all of the ingredients to make the pizza dough, placing it on the counter. "I certainly hope so. I can't stand American pizza...or anything American really." He scrunched up his nose in a look of slight disgust. He hummed in thought as he looked over the ingredients on the counter, his eyes widening slightly. "Oh, wait. I have something else."

Kneeling down on the floor, he rummaged through one of the cabinets to find a piece of equipment that they would need. Rubbing the back of his head when he bumped it on the inside of the cabinet, the Canadian withdrew from the space, a large pizza stone in his hands. He looked up at the Italian with a smile. "You'll need this too, right? Since we can't exactly use metal...for a couple of reasons..."

Lovino's eyes widened as he looked at the stone pan in the Canadian's hands. "That's the last straw." He stated. " You can't possibly be a normal human. You're uncannily not irritating to me. That in itself is a miracle. Hell. I cant even stand the other Fae half the time." He muttered as he took the stone. "For future reference though, steel isn't as bad for me as iron is, even if their technically the same." He stated as he quickly began kneading together the dough. "Something about how iron is treated to make steel makes it less lethal..." He started tossing the dough lightly, like a professional chef before spreading it on the stone.

Matthew chuckled softly, picking up one of the tomatoes on the counter. "Maman always said that I had a soothing nature," he murmured, smiling wistfully with a far-away look in his violet eyes. "She said that I had the ability to make even the most wild and aggressive animal feel at peace and become calm...especially when I would sing. She said that I was always...unnaturally gentle and understanding and forgiving...even when something I was trying to help ended up hurting me. She said something else about an abnormal purity in my soul that had yet to be tainted by the society of this world. That's why she had decided to raise me in the forest..." he trailed off, a sad light appearing in his eyes for a moment before disappearing as he focused on the Italian beside him, giving him a soft smile. "At any rate, I know about the whole iron thing. I just don't like the taste of metal," he murmured, tilting his head to the side with another quiet chuckle.

Lovino tilted his head to the side slightly as he listened to the Canadian, all the while layering slivers of tomatoes and herbs on the dough. He paused as he realized they still needed something else, but looked at the Matthew for a moment, questioningly. " You weren't raised in the cities with the other humans?"

Matthew shook his head, smiling sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "N-No, I wasn't. That's probably why I'm so...different from everyone else." He let out a small laugh, a slightly bitter edge to it. "I was raised apart from my own twin and my father because of my parents'...ideological differences. It wasn't until the..." He swallowed thickly, rephrasing his sentence. "Until years later that I even knew that I had a brother, and despite looking nearly identical..." He shook his head. "He and I are nothing alike. We're...basically as different as science and magic," he said with a slight smirk before letting out a giggle. "Or maybe I've just gone crazy from spending so much time alone, eh? It feels like it sometimes..." he trailed off, looking down as he rested his hands against the counter.

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Si. I'll agree with you that you're definitely different. But," he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Matthew with his oddly shimmering hazel eyes, "you're not crazy." He smirked slightly. "You're probably one of the only sane humans on the planet. All the rest have been brainwashed by technology." He tilted his head before adding. "Now, stop sounding so fucking down and out and tell me you have some decent cheese..." He pointed to the incomplete pizza sitting on the counter.

Matthew looked up at the Italian, meeting his gaze before his usual soft smile appeared on his face. "O-Of course. You're right. I shouldn't dwell on such thoughts." His smile widened at the mention of cheese. "And of course I have cheese. How does fresh mozzarella sound, eh?" he asked with a chuckle before practically skipping over to the refrigerator and opening the door.

The Canadian pulled open one of the drawers within the appliance and withdrew a fairly large ball of the white cheese, though part of it was missing from previous consumption. He placed it on the counter near the faery, carefully unwrapping it from the plastic wrapping that it was in. Matthew glanced over at the Italian, speaking in a hesitant voice. "I hope this will suffice. I mean, it's probably not as good as any that would actually be from Italy, but..." he shrugged, staring at the cheese. "I...I tried..."

As soon as Matthew had unwrapped the cheese, the Italian immediately pinched of a small bit and popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes after a moment, savoring the taste. He hadn't had real mozzarella in months. He swallowed before raising an eyebrow. "Its not bad. You made this?" He began slicing thin rounds from the ball and layering them on the pizza before looking down slightly. "It almost tastes like what Nonno used to make..." He mumbled.

Matthew smiled, closing his eyes and nodding as he leaned against the counter. "Yeah. I usually try to make everything that I can myself or grow it. There's really only a few things that I need to buy, food-wise at least." He watched Lovino finish up the pizza, humming quietly as he propped his elbows up on the counter, lacing his fingers together before resting his chin against them.

Lovino put the finishing touches on the pizza before pushing it towards Matthew. "You can handle your own oven. I can tell when it's done by the smell." He placed his palms on the counter and arched his back slightly, stretching his spine to help himself relax. "That masterpiece is going to be fucking delicious when it's baked."

Matthew chuckled softly, opening the oven that he had already pre-heated, and placing the pizza in the oven before closing the door. Placing his hands on his hips for a moment, he tapped his foot quietly against the floor before reaching up into the cabinet and taking out two glass cups which he placed on the counter near the Italian. Going over to the refrigerator, the Canadian took out the milk, pouring it into the glasses before returning it to its place. He pushed one of the cups toward Lovino while taking the other. "Here," he murmured with a gentle smile as he leaned against the counter, closing his eyes as he sipped his milk, staring at the oven.

Lovino smirked. "Milk? Mind if I ask why you're pairing milk and pizza?" He picked up the class and took a sip. "Not that I'm complaining. The only thing better than milk is a damn good wine in my personal opinion." He tilted the glass from side to side, watching the pure white liquid swirl against the sides before taking another sip. "It just seems like a strange choice for a human."

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest. But I mean, pizza has cheese which is dairy, and milk is dairy, so it just kind of went together in my mind." The corner of his mouth curled upwards in the beginnings of a smirk. "A strange choice for a strange human, I suppose." The Canadian closed his eyes, rolling his head around to relieve some of the tension in his neck resulting from laying on the ground for so long. "Maybe I should get a hammock..." he murmured to himself before glancing over at the Italian. "I don't have any wine, unfortunately. I don't have any alcohol actually. I only ever tried it once because of my brother, and I was violently ill almost immediately afterwards." He shook his head, his curl bouncing slightly in front of his face, as he continued to sip at the glass of milk in his hands.

Lovino tipped his glass back, finishing the contents. He moved to stand closer to the Canadian. "What kind of alcohol did your brother give you?" he asked before bringing his hand up to press lightly on the back of Matthew's neck, his hands warmer than they would normally be. "Just hold still for a minute... I can do small healing," he murmured as he began to gently rub the back of the Canadian's neck.

A small blush crept its way up the Canadian's face as he set his glass down on the counter behind him. "Something with vodka in it. That's all I really remember," he murmured as he closed his eyes. He found himself involuntarily leaning into the Italian's warm touch, a small shiver running down his spine. "Mmm...that feels...really good..." he breathed out, keeping his eyes closed as the tension seemed to melt away, a small hum of pleasure rising in his throat.

Lovino huffed softly. "No wonder you got sick. Vodka is horrible." He continued to let his fingers dance over Matthew's tense muscles before pulling away. "Did that really feel that good?" he asked, a small smirk on his lips and a teasing glint in his eyes. "You certainly sounded like it felt good." He turned to the oven and pulled out a perfectly cooked pizza, the cheese lightly browned and the crust golden. He didn't even flinch at the extremely high heat of the pizza stone as he grabbed it with bare hands.

Matthew crossed his arms in front of his chest, puffing out his rosy cheeks. "S-Shut up," he muttered. "And yes, it did." The Canadian inhaled deeply, the scent of the pizza making his mouth water. "That looks amazing," the blonde said softly, a grin on his face as he appraised the creation.

Lovino smirked and turned his attention to the pizza, wasting no time in slicing it. He picked up two pieces, bringing one up to his lips as he offered the other to Matthew, pulling a bit of the heat away from the slice so the Canadian wouldn't get burned. As he swallowed his first bite he spoke. "It tastes better than it looks."

" _ Merci _ ," he murmured, taking the piece from the Italian's hand. Giving a nod, Matthew brought the pizza up to his lips, blowing on it slightly before taking a bite. His eyes widened at the taste, a wide smile plastering itself to the Canadian's face. He hummed in appreciation. "This...has got to be...the best thing I've ever tasted," he murmured, looking at the faery with awe while trying to contain his child-like enthusiasm that was directed toward the delicious food.

Lovino smirked. "Of course it's fucking delicious. It's Italian pizza actually made by an Italian." He leaned lightly against the counter. "Those pancakes you made come pretty close to this level of culinary greatness though."

Matthew beamed as he leaned against the counter next to the Italian. He took another bite of his pizza, his eyes closing as he savored the taste. Humming softly, he nodded. "Real Canadian pancakes with real Canadian maple syrup. The American shit is all fake and tastes horrible." He shuddered at the memory.

Lovino smirked. "Anything American is a bit frightening. Food, cars, labs..." He shuddered slightly and his smirk faded. He had escaped from an American run laboratory. He took another bite of his slice.

Tilting his head to the side, Matthew looked over at the fae, a look of concern on his face. Hesitantly reaching up, he rested his hand on Lovino's shoulder. "Hey...don't worry. It's over now. And as soon as the snow thaws, I'll get you out of the country and back home." The Canadian offered him a gentle smile, ignoring the twinge of loneliness that settled in his chest at the thought of Lovino leaving. "I promise..."

Lovino tilted his head slightly. "Thanks for the promise, but your stuck with me until I've properly paid you back for saving my life..." He sighed. "So, even after the snow thaws, I'm here for who knows how long..." He offered the Canadian a wry smile. "Unless you don't want me here. Then the contract is null and void."

The Canadian's smile fell slightly as his hand dropped to his side. "Oh..." He looked down, chewing on his lip. "I mean, I...like...having you here. It's a lot less lonely and more fun, but..." He glanced up at the Italian through his long eyelashes. "I don't want you to be forced to stay here if you don't want to be here..." He trailed off, a light blush on his face as he returned his gaze to the floor, nibbling on his pizza in silence.

Lovino rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really feel forced. I'm just being honest with you...because you've been so damn nice. It's a sort of 'fae rule.' You saved my life, so I'm bound to you until I've paid you back." He shrugged slightly. "I can always write  _ mio fratellino _ a letter..."

Matthew nodded, finishing off his pizza. "Alright...I guess..." He chewed on his lip in thought. "I guess I sort of understand that..." He turned his head to the side, looking at the fae and giving him a small smile. "At any rate, thank you for dinner. It was delicious. But there's something that I need to go do right now since I didn't get to do it earlier." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck which still tingled. "Umm...I'll see you later...or tomorrow...I guess..." he murmured, waving back at Lovino as he headed towards his bedroom.

Changing into loose black pants and a dark purple shirt, Matthew grabbed his violin case before he exited his bedroom and headed back to the greenhouse. Opening the case, he set it on a bench near the pond before taking the violin out, and after briefly checking to make sure it was in tune, he walked over to the edge of the pond.

The moon was reflected blurrily in the waters.

Taking a deep breath, the Canadian propped the violin onto his shoulder, and then, bringing the bow up to the strings, he began to play a gentle melody. The fireflies that were flickering about the greenhouse lazily began to dance through the air.

Even the butterflies that were previously sleeping in the trees and on the different plants had awoken and were fluttering around the moonlit pond, almost as if they were dancing to the sound of the melody that was being played.


	7. 6

Lovino was placing the dirty dishes in the sink when he heard the first soft strains of the tune. His eyes widened slightly as he felt a shiver run down his spine. He sat down the knife he'd been about to clean and made his way out to the greenhouse, feeling like he was being pulled by an unseen force. He quietly made his way over toward the blonde violinist, his wings unfurling as he walked. He could feel the faint magic spilling into the music causing the insects to dance through the air in recognition.

He stopped beside one of the trees surrounding the pond, his wings glimmering slightly from a sudden surge of energy he was sure was caused by the Canadian. Several fireflies made there way to lazily swirl around him, encouraging him to dance. He almost gave in. Almost. There was a small part of him that realized the music would stop if he joined.

Matthew's lips tugged upwards into a smile as he watched the butterflies and fireflies dancing around the moonlit pond. He hummed quietly, closing his eyes as he continued to play the tune. After a few more moments, Matthew took a deep breath, relaxing as his mind started to drift slightly, a familiar yet foreign set of words forming in his thoughts.

And then...he began to sing. " _ Toue rei zue kuroa ryou toue zue. Kuroa ryou zue toue ryou rei neu ryou zue. Va rei zue toue neu toue ryou toue kuroa. Ryou rei kuroa ryou zue rei va zue rei. Va nue va rei va nue va zue rei. Kuroa ryou kuroa neu toue rei kuroa ryou zue rei va. Rei va neu kuroa toue rei rei _ ," he finished, drawing out the last note on the violin as it resonated throughout the greenhouse.

Blinking open his eyes, Matthew shook his head, snapping out of the trance-like state he had been in while playing. Dropping his hands to his sides, the violin and bow still in his grip, he stared at the moon's reflection for a moment before walking over to the bench and sitting down, returning the instrument to its case. Resting his arms against his knees, he watched as the butterflies and fireflies returned to their previous activities before the music began, several of the butterflies fluttering over to the Canadian and landing briefly on his fingers before returning to their sleeping spots.

Matthew let out a soft chuckle when one landed on his nose before fluttering off, causing a small smile to appear on the blonde's face as he tilted his head back, staring at the moon through the frosted glass roof of the greenhouse.

Lovino's skin was tingling slightly from the residual magic in the air. He watched the Canadian with awe, having realized just what it was that made the animals flock to him. He stepped out of the shadows of the trees, his wings shimmering faint pinks and golds in the moonlight. His voice was a bit respectful as he spoke. "That was beautiful." He moved to stand beside the bench Matthew was sitting on.

Matthew's eyes widened as he looked up at the Italian, his face flushing darkly. Covering his face with one of his hands, he looked down at his lap. "U-Umm, m-merci. I didn't know you were listening," he murmured, dropping his hands to his lap as he fiddled with the edge of his shirt. Swallowing, he said quietly, "I'm...glad you liked it..." The blonde glanced over at Lovino, smiling sheepishly.

Lovino tilted his head to the side. "I was right when I said you had a bit of magic earlier." He carefully sat on the bench beside the Canadian so as not to crumble his wings any. He rested his elbows on his knees. "You can't feel it though, can you? If you could, you wouldn't use it so carelessly…” His wings fluttered lightly of their own will. "I didn't change back on my own... You pulled my wings out with the magic. I don't think you meant to though." He rubbed the back of his neck lightly as he tried to find the right words to explain what he meant. "It's old magic. Not many people have it. You must have either a mage or fae somewhere in your family tree though. It's extremely strong for being unnoticeable."

Matthew glanced at the wings that were now visible on the Italian's back. He slowly shook his head. "I didn't even know I had magic...or that what I was doing was magic... I just...play music... The butterflies like it, and I've read that music helps plants grow...so I've just been doing this everyday for years..." He looked into Lovino's eyes, his gaze flickering over his wings briefly. "So I'm basically able to cause fae to reveal their true forms..." he trailed off in thought, his brows furrowing in concern. "Lovino...if magic is inherited, then...what would be the odds of my twin brother having the same or similar abilities?"

Lovino shrugged. "I'm not really sure if you only powers involve causing us to reveal ourselves." He murmured. "I could have probably fought the change of I had wanted to." He rolled his shoulders slightly. "You're right about your music making the plants grow though..." He pointed to a few blossoms that had opened in the tree branches above. "The butterflies and fireflies don't really seem to mind though. They were thoroughly celebrating you." He smirked. "Then again, if I lived on flower nectar, I probably would too. Your music opened enough blossoms for every one of the bees, fireflies, and butterflies around here to get drunk on nectar." He watched a firefly move lazily through the air in large looping circles. “As for your twin, he could have abilities, or just be another human. Magic is strange like that. It selects some and ignores others."

Matthew chuckled softly, looking up at the blossoms that Lovino was referring to. A small smile appeared on his face as he rested his elbows on his knees. Pressing his palms against his eyes, he let out a relieved sigh. "Okay. That makes me feel a little better. He...works for one of the American labs across the border..." He chewed on his bottom lip. "Possibly the one that you were...being held at... But anyways...if he had abilities like mine, then...the people at the lab could end up using him to help locate and capture fae...or use  _ him  _ for their experiments... I don't know..." The Canadian let out a tired sigh, crossing his arms across his knees as he rested his forehead against his arms. "And my life just got a hell lot more complicated than I thought it was," he chuckled, closing his eyes.

Lovino shrugged, "Life sucks sometimes. Believe me, I know." He thought for a moment. "Does your twin look like you? Or is it just fraternal?" He couldn't shake the feeling that Matthew looked more familiar than he should have now that he studied the young man sitting beside him. "What's your last name, by the way..."

Leaning back against the bench, he stretched out his arms and legs in front of him. "We're identical twins...except that he has blue eyes and our hair is different. Dieu, that stupid cowlick of his..." He shook his head, his blonde curls bouncing slightly. Turning on the bench, he sat cross-legged, facing the Italian. "I go by my mother's maiden name of Williams, but...it technically should be Jones. That's the last name that Alfred uses, at least." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down with a light blush on his face. "But yeah...mine is Williams."

Lovino groaned softly as the image and name fell into place in his mind. "Medical Specialist Jones...." He tipped his head back and stared up at the moon. "If it helps any, your  _ fratello  _ was actually one of the nicer humans at the lab. He never did anything.... Unorthodox... and always treated any injuries we got from the other technicians..." He huffed softly. "I guess what they say about it being a small fucking world is true though, hm?"

Matthew sighed. "I guess that makes me feel a bit better but..." He shook his head, letting out a small laugh. "Yeah, I suppose that you're right though. A really small world." Matthew tilted his head to the side as he looked up at the Italian. He smiled as he placed his hand on the other's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "But...I'm really glad that we got to meet each other," he murmured as he dropped his hand to his lap. The Canadian watched the faery for a few moments, the dappled moonlight shining on them through the trees, before he turned his attention to the pond.

The Italian nodded and stared out across the moonlit pond as well. "Si. You're not half bad for a human, even if you're a mage." He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "This place you have here is nice..." He mumbled. "I don't think I'll be too irritated staying here a while."

Matthew laughed softly. "I'll take that as a compliment," he murmured, resting his arms on the back of the bench. Laying his head down on top of his arms, he closed his eyes with a quiet sigh. A small yawn escaped his lips as he nuzzled closer against his arms. "I'm...glad that you're staying... I hope you enjoy your time here..." he murmured, trailing off with another yawn.

Lovino smirked slightly. "You look like you're about to fall asleep. You should head to bed. I'll come inside in a few minutes." It had been a while since Lovino had just sat peacefully with nature and he wanted to have a moment to himself, no humans involved.

"I'm not...tired... It's just the warmth is...making me drowsy... But if you insist..." he murmured, covering his mouth as a much larger yawn escaped. Standing up, he patted the Italian's head. "G'Night, Lovi. Don't forget to put your wings away," he said quietly, walking back into the house with his violin in tow. Once he reached his bedroom, he collapsed on the bed, not bothering to close the door or turn off the light as he fell asleep almost immediately.

Lovino huffed softly at the comment on his wings. "Yeah, whatever.  _ Buonanotte _ ."

As soon as the Canadian was back in the house, the Italian stood up from the bench and walked over to the edge of the pond. It had been a while since he'd had a good chance to stretch his wings properly. Most humans thought it was strange that a fairy the size of a human could fly with just thin looking wings, but the fact was, most of Lovi's bones were hollow, like a bird's, when he was in his full fae form. He gave his wings a tentative flap to test their strength before beating them with a bit more force and hovering.

Immediately, the flock of fireflies in the area came swarming around him and he smirked as he understood what they wanted. The game of tag was on.

A little while later, a thoroughly exhausted Italian, sans wings, made his way inside. He sighed as he passed Matthew's room and saw the blonde sprawled across the bed. He stepped inside the Canadian's room and tugged a blanket over the man before flicking of the light and carefully closing the door. It wasn't long before he was snuggled in his own bed, snoring softly.


	8. 7

Matthew groaned as the first light of morning shined through the cracks in the curtain and into his eyes. His head was pounding as he pulled the blanket up over his head, nestling deeper into the dark warmth. The Canadian quickly drifted back to sleep. It wasn't until a good three hours later at nearly ten o'clock that the blonde forced himself out of bed, making a small mental note of how he hadn't had a blanket on him when he fell asleep last night. He trudged down the hallway, rubbing his eyes as he entered the kitchen. Matthew grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit he had set out yesterday morning, leaning heavily against the counter as he took a bite of the obtained fruit.

Lovino had gotten up a little earlier and had been out in the greenhouse, enjoying his breakfast of fresh tomatoes. He had picked a few that might have gotten too ripe if left on the vine and was bringing them into the house. He tilted his head at the rather tired looking Canadian. "Morning, Matthew..." He couldn't help but wonder if the man wasn't a morning person.

Matthew blinked blearily, looking in the direction of the voice. It took a few seconds to focus on the person whom had spoken, and when Matthew recognized said person, a wide grin appeared on his face. "Good morning, Lovino," he murmured. "How are you?" he added with a grin, tilting his head to the side as he took another bite of his apple.

Lovino crossed his arms and frowned. "Apparently a lot better off than you." He marched over and pressed the back of his hand against the Canadian's forehead. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but humans aren't supposed to be as warm as you are, are they?"

Matthew stared at the Italian for a few moments before blinking and taking a step back. He winced slightly when the edge of the counter dug into his back. "I-I just have a headache. I'll be fine," he murmured, unable to prevent a small shiver from passing through his body. He tiredly rubbed at his eyes. "I should probably stop staying up so late," he murmured.

Lovino's frown deepened. He could tell the Canadian didn't feel well. "You should go back to sleep for a bit. Maybe that will help your headache." He huffed softly and pulled a kitchen knife out to start slicing the tomatoes he'd brought in.

Matthew looked at the Italian for a few more moments before stretching, his back popping quietly as he did so. He nodded at Lovino. "Alright...I guess..." he murmured, heading toward the hallway. He stopped at the doorway, looking back at the faery one more time before heading down the hallway.

Matthew paused briefly to turn the thermostat heater to ten degrees warmer before going to his room and laying down in his bed, snuggling under several thick blankets before drifting off to sleep again.

Lovino sighed. He had a small idea as to why the Canadian was sick. He couldn't help but somewhat remember the feeling of being wrapped in a warm coat when he hovered on the edge of consciousness as Matthew had brought him home. He put the tomatoes in a pot of water to boil for a bit. If Matthew was sick, the least he could do was make the blonde some soup.

Matthew shivered as he curled up tighter into a ball under the blankets. He hadn't managed to stay asleep for very long apparently. It was either because he was feeling too cold or he smelled something being cooked. Either way, the Canadian was unable to return to sleep, his thoughts drifting constantly in his state of semi-wakefulness. The blonde eventually became vaguely aware of another presence within the room with him. Blinking open his eyes, Matthew noticed that the Italian was there with him.

Lovino had just entered the room a moment before, a bowl of steaming soup in his hands. He sat it on the Canadian's nightstand and looked down slightly. "Sorry for waking you up..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Matthew shook his head, sitting up slightly. "You didn't wake me up," he murmured, a small smile on his face. Another shiver passed through his body as he pulled the blankets up closer around him. "That smells really good, by the way," he added quietly, nodding toward the bowl.

Lovino nodded. "Of course it smells good. It's tomato soup." He smirked a bit. "I thought it would help cure whatever's giving you a damn headache." He held up a spoon. "You feel up to eating?"

Matthew chuckled softly, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards into a slight grin. "I might be..." he murmured. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "And...it might be more than just a headache...." He scooted over slightly on the bed before patting the spot next to him. "Sit with me?"

Lovino huffed softly and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked the bowl of soup of the nightstand and offered it to the Canadian, making sure it wasn't actually hot enough to burn the blonde. "Glad to see you finally admitting it." He murmured. "I would offer to cure you, but knowing my luck, I'd just make you worse."

Matthew felt the heat rise to his cheeks that had nothing to do with his fever. "Y-Yeah, well I...I didn't want to worry you..." he murmured, taking the bowl from the Italian. "Merci." He held the warm bowl close to him, closing his eyes as the warmth began to seep into his body, some of the chill he had felt beginning to dissipate.

Lovino shrugged. "It's my fault you got sick, right? Making you feel better is the least I can do." He pulled his legs up on the bed and leaned back against the headboard.

Matthew smiled slightly. "Having you around makes me feel better," he murmured, mostly to himself as he stared into the soup. "It doesn't matter if it was your fault or not. It wasn't intentional," he added, stirring the soup with the spoon before leaning back against the headboard next to the Italian. He hummed quietly, eating the soup.

Lovino blushed slightly at the Canadian's words. He fell into his habit of playing with a small flame on his fingertips. He tilted his head slightly after a moment. "Is the soup good?"

Matthew paused mid-bite before continuing the spoon's path to his mouth. He turned his head to the side, nodding. "It's excellent. The best that I've had in...years at least." He smiled gently at the other before eating another spoonful.

Lovino smiled faintly. He enjoyed when others praised his cooking. "You'd better not be lying. Tell me the truth if it sucks." He continued to dance the tiny bit of flame around his fingertips as if it was a toy.

Matthew shook his head slightly, wincing a bit when his headache worsened from the movement. "I'm not lying. It's really, really good," he murmured, smiling at the Italian. After a few moments, his smile faded slightly as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that you haven't tasted it?" he asked, before holding up a spoonful toward the brunette.

Lovino blushed brightly and crossed his arms over his chest defensively, the flame vanishing. He huffed slightly. "Of course I've tasted it. I'm just biased to my own damn cooking. It tasted good to me, but I know humans have strange taste in food sometimes."

Matthew blushed, lowering the spoonful back into the bowl. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you..." he murmured, swallowing thickly. He stirred the spoon around in the already three-quarters empty bowl. The Canadian stayed silent as he continued to eat, keeping his gaze averted from the Italian.

Lovino stared randomly around the room, his cheeks still a faint pink. After a few more moments, he tilted his head. "Do you want me to bring you any... medicine... For your cold?" He paused a moment trying to remember the proper word for what he was offering to go find. "It might help you some, right?" The fae had absolutely no idea how human medicine worked, but knew that it helped humans hel faster, much like being spells helped the fae.

Matthew shook his head slightly. "I don't like it," he murmured, staring into the remains of the soup. "I've tried to take it before, but I'm allergic to one of the ingredients or something. So I ended up worse than before I took the medicine." The Canadian frowned, remembering the incident. "Herbal remedies are healthier anyways. And they work better in my opinion, too, rather than the manufactured, synthetic shit that the government makes." He wrinkled up his nose before finishing off the soup and setting the empty bowl on his lap.

Lovino shrugged slightly. "Oh. That makes things a hell of a lot less complicated for me at least." He reached over to take the bowl. "I'll bring you some mint tea of something later then. That always seems to help  _ mio fratellino _ ."

Matthew nodded, picking up the bowl and handing it to the Italian, his face heating up as their fingers brushed together. He turned his head away as he coughed lightly, clearing his throat as he withdrew his hand. "That sounds really good. Merci, Lovi," he murmured, pulling the blankets up around his shoulders as his eyelids drooped slightly, a shiver running through his body.

Lovino stood up from the bed. "Yeah, whatever... Just get some more sleep. I'll come back later with the damn mint." He carried the bowl to the kitchen, pausing slightly in the blonde's bedroom door as he left the room to glance back at the sick Canadian.

A small smile appeared on the Canadian's face as he layed back down in bed. A long yawn escaped his lips. Curling up on his side, he pulled the multiple layers of blankets up over his shivering form. Almost as soon as his head hit the pillows, he fell into a deep sleep.

Lovino came back to the Canadian's room about an hour later. He held two ceramic mugs of steaming water with a few mint leaves floating in each. The scent of mint was surrounding him as he quietly made his way to the blonde's beside. He sat the mugs on the nightstand and gently pressed his hand to Matthew's forehead. He sighed as he realized that the man was still much too warm.

Matthew stretched his legs under the covers. Sniffing, he brought his hand up to his forehead, blinking his eyes open in confusion when his hand pressed against something else that was really warm. Another wave of shivers passed through his body as his eyes closed once again, pulling the warm object closer to his body. A small content sigh escaped his lips as he nuzzled closer to the warmth that the object produced.

Lovino blushed brightly as the Canadian snuggled his hand. He was half tempted to pull away, but sighed as he realized that Matthew was shivering. He huffed softly and sat down on the bed. He knew how horrible it was to feel cold. It was one of the most unpleasant sensations in his personal experience. He sighed softly and shifted so that he was laid out on the bed beside Matthew and let his body change just enough so that he had his natural fire faery's body temperature. The mugs of mint tea could cool for all he cared. He could easily heat them again later.

Matthew subconsciously let out a soft sigh when he felt the warmth. Letting go of Lovino's hand, he moved closer toward him. Draping an arm across the fae's torso, he unconsciously cuddled against him, resting his head against the Italian's chest. "Warm..." he mumbled in his sleep before letting out a deep shaky breath as his body began to relax, his shivers gradually dissipating.

Lovino felt his cheeks heat up quite a bit as he was snuggled like a body pillow. He wasn’t used to being touched affectionately in any way by anyone other than his overly clingy little brother. He let a faint smile ghost across his lips as Matthew relaxed, the way the Canadian mumbled softly reminding him a little of his brother back in Italy. The Italian sighed softly and decided he might as well enjoy a bit of a siesta while he had a good chance.


	9. 8

Matthew nuzzled against the Italian's chest as he began to awaken several hours later. Blinking open his eyes, he reached up and felt his forehead; it felt cooler and was beaded with sweat, meaning that the fever must of broke sometime in his sleep. The blonde let out a quiet sigh of relief, closing his eyes as he snuggled closer to the warm mass next to him.

Matthew frowned, opening his eyes again, a dark blush on his face as his heart hammered wildly in his chest. Somehow, while he was asleep, he had managed to kick the blankets off onto the floor and his legs were entwined with the Italian's. The Italian himself had his arms wrapped around the blonde, his head resting atop of the Canadian's. Matthew glanced up at the faery. He wasn't sure whether the male was asleep or not, but he assumed that it was the former since when Matthew attempted to move away, the Italian's grip around him tightened.

Clearing his throat softly, Matthew gently tapped Lovino's shoulder. "U-Umm, L-Lovino? Umm...c-could you let me up please?" he whispered, keeping his bright red face hidden from view.

Lovino grumbled softly in his sleep, his grip tightening briefly before he slowly began to blink awake. As his groggy mind slowly processed the position he was in, his cheeks flushed bright red and he immediately released the Canadian in embarrassed shock and hastily shifted away. He gave a small gasp of shock as he felt the open air between the edge of the bed and the floor meet his back and briefly felt the sensation of falling before the loud thump echoed through the room.

He glared up at the ceiling as though it had wronged him in some way before slowly sitting up with a low stream of curses.

Matthew shivered slightly from the sudden loss of heat, though he felt that the heat that was radiating from his blushing face was more than enough to compensate. Swallowing, Matthew slowly sat up, turning so that his back was to the faery. Scooting over to the edge of the bed, the Canadian shakily stood up, breathing heavily as he exited the room as quickly as he could, going into the bathroom and locking himself in there. Sliding to the ground, he buried his face in his hands, letting out several shaky breaths.

"Oh mon dieu...what just… I...what even happened?" he mumbled to himself, his thoughts an incoherent jumble. Shaking his head, he stood up, stripping off his shirt before going over to the bathtub and turning the water on. The Canadian stuck his head under the running water, splashing some on his face and torso. After several more minutes, he turned the water off, grabbing a towel and patting himself dry before draping the towel over his head. Tossing his shirt in the basket near the door, Matthew exited the bathroom, heading into the kitchen to begin making dinner.

Lovino stood up as soon as the Canadian had entered the bathroom. His cheeks were still a faint pink as he retreated to the garden, the mugs of now chilled mint forgotten on the nightstand. He went out to the pond and lightly made his way to sit in one of the trees. He didn't even care that the butterflies landed on him because he smelled faintly of the Matthew. "Dio..." He muttered softly under his breath as he tried to comprehend just how he'd wound up using the blonde as a body pillow. He wasn't prone to snuggling; he never had been. Even when his brothers would share the bed in his home, he never snuggled them. Rather, it had been the other way around with him trying to escape the clingy brats' grasps in the middle of the night.

Running his hand through his slightly damp hair, Matthew draped the towel around his shoulders. The Canadian stared into the refrigerator, the cold air a sharp contrast to his fiery cheeks. If he hadn't just gotten over a cold, he would have thrown himself outside and wallowed in the snowdrifts. With a sigh, the Canadian began pulling out random vegetables and several different herbs and setting them on the counter. Taking out a pot from under the counter, he placed it on the stove to boil water while he prepped the different vegetables. He found that it was mainly different types of squash, carrots, tomatoes, eggplant, onion, and garlic that he had grabbed, along with the parsley and cilantro. Shaking his head, Matthew started chopping the vegetables. "Ratatouille it is then, eh?" the blonde murmured to himself, using the cooking as a distraction from his thoughts about the "cuddling incident" as he was now referring to it.

Lovino was still holed up on the tree branch, midway up one of the apple trees. He was flustered enough that he was now holding what sounded like a one sided conversation. "Si. But it's not like that..... I know... But he's not.... I'm not either.... It wouldn't be right..." Any normal person witnessing the scene would think Lovino had lost his mind, but as it was, he was talking to a large red butterfly that was perched on the tip of his finger.

Matthew sighed as he stirred the vegetables into the boiling water, seasoning it appropriately with the herbs and salt. Placing a lid on the pot and reducing the heat to allow the vegetables to simmer, the Canadian leaned against the counter. Staring at the pot, his thoughts once again drifted to the Italian. He closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he mentally berated himself. "Mon dieu, it's only been two days... He's just a guest... Stop thinking and stop getting attached... Once he's finished with his debt thingy then he'll just leave and then you'll never see him again after that, so just stop..." he muttered, pressing his palms against his eyes. Letting out a heavy sigh, the blonde dropped his hands to his sides before checking the progress of the ratatouille. He could already tell that he was getting too attached to the fae's company, and it was going to break his heart whenever the Italian left and he had to be alone again. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath, "I'll deal with that when it happens..."

Lovino finally got fed up with what the butterfly was telling him and shooed the insect away before jumping lightly to the ground. "I can't get too damn attached. He'll get sick and tired of me just like the others..." His normally rather buoyant strand of hair was drooping as he made his way into the main house. He could smell the scent of something delicious cooking and deliberated on going into the kitchen or not. He made his way to Matthew's bedroom and grabbed the forgotten mugs, bringing them down to the kitchen, allowing himself an excuse to enter.

Matthew was sitting on the counter across from the stove. Swinging his legs slightly, he rested his hands against the stone as he glared at the pot. His thoughts kept returning to the same subject matter: the Italian fire faery that was staying at his home. With a slight groan, he propped his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his hands. "Ugh...I'm such an idiot..." he mumbled into his hands. "He'll probably avoid me now..." Sighing with a frown, he dropped his hands to the towel around his neck, holding it close against him as he returned to staring at the pot on the stove, not noticing that the Italian had entered the kitchen.

Lovino stared at the blonde on the counter briefly before heaving a sigh. "Oi. Matthew. If you're still feeling sick, you don't have to cook." He leaned against the door frame between the kitchen and the hallway, mugs in hand.

Matthew blinked, his head turning in the direction of the door. A dark blush immediately coated his cheeks when he saw the Italian. Matthew shook his head, quickly returning his gaze to the pot. "I-I'm fine. My fever broke while I was sleeping. So I'm...better now..." he murmured, his thoughts drifting to how nice it felt being held in Lovino's arms. His eyes widened as his blush intensified from his thoughts.

Lovino frowned slightly. "You still seem out of it though." The air around his hands shimmered slightly as though surrounded by steam and a moment later he held out the now steaming mug of mint tea. "Here. Maybe it will help you clear your head."

Matthew cleared his throat, attempting to will away his blush. "R-Really. I'm fine," he mumbled, though he took the mint tea anyways. Holding it between his hands, he stared into the depths of the tea. His blush remained stubbornly persistent about remaining on his cheeks. After a few more moments of tea-gazing, Matthew took a couple of sips of the warm liquid, closing his eyes with a quiet sigh, a small smile on his face.

The Italian sighed softly and sat his own mug on the countertop. He couldn't help but worry slightly about Matthew. The blonde's face was still a bit red and he seemed dazed after all. Lovi decided to give the human the benefit of the doubt though and made his way over to look in the pot on the stove. " So, what exactly  _ are  _ you cooking?"

The Canadian blinked open his eyes as he looked over at the Italian. "Ah, it's called ratatouille. It's a French dish. It's basically just, like, eggplant and squash and different vegetables all simmered together in herbs and tomatoes," he explained, sipping at the mint tea in his hands. His gaze lingered on the Italian for a moment before averting his gaze and staring into the tea.

Lovino nodded at the description. "It smells good. He glanced over to see if Matthew was watching and, noticing him distracted, dipped his finger in the pot for a taste. He put his finger in his mouth briefly before nodding. "Tastes okay too." He leaned back against the counter. "You're not bad at cooking."

Matthew nodded absent-mindedly, keeping his gaze on the tea in his hands. "Merci. I've had years of practice. I would hope that I would be since I've kept myself alive this long..." he murmured, trailing off slightly. "It still has about an hour or so left to simmer and finish cooking, though, so..." He shrugged slightly, taking a sip of his tea and looking anywhere except at the Italian.

Lovino huffed softly and walked over to Matthew. He could tell the Canadian was avoiding him for some reason. "Oi." He leaned down and peered up into Matthew's violet eyes. "If I did something to piss you off, tell me, capische?" He straightened back up and crossed his arms. "It will make things a hell of a lot less stressful."

Matthew's eyes widened, his face turning bright red. His breath caught in his throat as he gazed into Lovino's hazel eyes. His grip on the cup of tea loosened slightly as he continued to stare into the other's eyes, unable to find the will to look away. Swallowing, the Canadian murmured softly, "You didn't piss me off... What you did was unintentional... It's just....I'm just....I don't know....I'm confused...."

Lovino felt his own cheeks heat up slightly as the Canadian met his gaze. "Oh..." He looked away. "Dispiace then..." He picked up his mug and took a sip of the almost immediately steaming liquid. "I'll... leave you alone for a bit then..." He murmured softly as he left the kitchen to explore the house a bit.


	10. 9

Matthew lifted his hand to try to stop the Italian from leaving, but the male was gone before the blonde could say a word. He let his hand fall back to rest on his lap, attempting to ignore the small pang of loneliness he felt creeping into his chest. With a sigh, he finished off his tea before hopping off the counter and putting the cup in the sink. He walked over to the stove, staring at the simmering food before plopping down on the floor, pressing his bare back against the cabinets. Closing his eyes, he exhaled deeply, rubbing his face before resting his arms across his knees. "What am I supposed to do? Why do I feel like this?" the blonde murmured to himself, before resting his chin on his arms as he began to ponder all of the things that were on his mind.

Lovino wandered the halls a bit before stepping into the living room area. He tilted his head as he realized just how out of date most of the electronics were. The television was actually rather boxish compared to the ones he saw in most human stores these days. He picked up the remote control, a bit hesitantly because it had been a few years since he'd worked a television, and turned the television on.

He flipped through the channels until he spotted something he couldn't help but take note of: a news report on the escape of several "dangerous creatures" from a lab just over the border. There were mugshots of himself and the others that had managed to escape with him. Apparently two of his companions had already been recaptured.

He grit his teeth as the report stated there would be a hefty reward for anyone with tips to his and the others' whereabouts. He sat in silence, shaking slightly in both fear and anger as the report continued.

Matthew sighed, standing up and checking the food. When he deemed that it was ready to eat, he spooned it into two bowls. Hesitating slightly, he picked up both of the bowls and walked down the halls before he heard the television on. As he stood in the doorway to the room, he couldn't help but to feel his heart sink when he watched the news report. Clearing his throat softly, he entered the room, placing the bowls on the table before taking a seat next to the Italian.

The blonde carefully watched Lovino from the corner of his eye, a frown forming on his face when he noticed that the other male was shaking slightly. Before the Canadian could restrain his impulse, he leaned closer to the brunette, wrapping his arms around the other male. Rubbing small soothing circles into the Italian's back, he closed his eyes, whispering softly. "It's alright. I won't let them find you and take you back there. I promise, Lovi. I'll get you home no matter what. I won't let them hurt you again," he murmured, his grip around the other male tightening slightly as the Canadian continued to murmur soothing words to try to comfort the upset Italian.

Lovino's first reaction to being suddenly embraced was to tense. His emotions were a bit off balance at the moment, and his instincts practically screamed for him to fight back in his stressed state. His magic automatically flared up to remove the threat. He inhaled sharply and clenched his hands into fists, channeling the majority of the attack there.

He bit his lip before murmuring to Matthew, "Let go,  _ per favore _ ..." He didn't want Matthew to be burned by him.

Matthew blinked, his eyes going wide as his face flushed darkly. He immediately obeyed the Italian, dropping his arms and scrambling backwards to the end of the couch. Swallowing thickly, he pulled his knees close to his body, his chest and arms tingling from the sudden heat that the brunette had given off.

Closing his eyes, he mentally cursed himself for following that stupid impulse that he'd had. He'd only made things worse by the looks of it. Burying his head against his knees and arms, he mumbled quietly, "I’m really sorry, Lovino.... I was only trying to help... God, I'm such a fucking idiot...."

Lovino had his eyes closed tightly and there were small flames dancing around his hands as he tried to reign in the magic that had gotten out of control. He shook his head slightly. His voice was a bit strained as he spoke. "Don't blame yourself.... I just got worked up from the stupid report." He stood up slowly. "Do me a favor and open the door... I need to cool off... I can't call it back..."

Swallowing, Matthew nodded, quickly making his way to the front door. "I live about a mile outside of town so there shouldn't be much of a chance of anybody spotting you, but.....be careful, okay?" he murmured as he threw the door open. The Canadian shuddered at the sudden cold air that washed over his skin, causing his teeth to chatter slightly.

Looking outside, Matthew noticed that snow was falling heavily, piling up into tall mounds, the wind blowing harshly across the landscape and piling the snow even higher in some places.

Lovino nodded and stepped just outside the door, the wind blowing in becoming almost a springtime gale as it rushed past him. He flinched slightly at the chill but grit his teeth harder and let the door blow closed behind him. The snow flakes turned to rain and steam as soon as they were within inches of him and the snow at his feet did the same. He stayed out in the snow a good five minutes before opening the door and stepping quickly back inside. He looked down at his feet apologetically as he spoke to the Canadian. "I didn't burn you, did I? When I lost it?"

Matthew leaned against the wall, shaking his head. Crossing his arms over his chest, he murmured, "I don't think so. It all just kind of...feels tingly at the moment. Like how it normally does after we touch." He coughed lightly, a deep blush staining his cheek. He added quietly, "Dinner's in the living room, by the way. And...umm...sorry...about the...hug and all that." He looked down at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lovino's cheeks turned red at the Canadian's words about touching. To be honest, when the Canadian touched him, he could feel his heart beat a bit faster. "The... The hug wasn't that bad..." He mumbled as he made his way back to the living room sofa.

Matthew blinked, his cheeks heating up further as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards slightly. Following the Italian back into living room, he sat down on the floor between the table and the sofa. Pulling one of the bowls over toward himself, he pushed the other towards Lovino along with a spoon and fork. Picking up his own, the Canadian quietly ate in silence, hyper aware of the presence of the Italian close-by.

Lovino accepted the dish and tried to focus entirely on the bowl of food in his hands, but his gaze kept drifting down to the Canadian in the floor. Every time he realized that he was staring at the blonde, he would tear his gaze away and take another bite of his meal. As he finished the bowl of vegetables, he cleared his throat softly before speaking. "That wasn't half bad."

Matthew turned his head toward the Italian once he'd finished his own bowl. He smiled brightly, tilting his head to the side with a light blush. "I'm glad you liked it. There's still quite a bit left, so we'll probably be having it for a couple of days depending on how quickly we eat it..." he murmured, turning his attention back to his empty bowl. After a few moments, he stood up, picking up his bowl before turning to the brunette, holding out his hand for the Italian's bowl.

Lovino shrugged slightly as he passed the Canadian his bowl. "I don't mind leftovers." He mumbled before standing up. "I'll help with the dishes if you want me to. It's only fair since you cooked." He rubbed the back of his neck. He normally wouldn't have offered but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to let the Canadian do all the work.

Matthew chuckled softly, stacking the bowls together. "It's alright, Lovino. I'm quite capable of washing a few dishes." He tilted his head to the side, smiling at the Italian. "Thank you for offering though," he murmured, patting the fae's shoulder lightly as he walked past him and heading toward the kitchen with a light blush on his cheeks. Matthew placed the bowls in the sink, turning the hot water on and rinsing the bowls off before placing them in the dishwasher. Once he was done, he hopped up onto the counter with a sigh, sitting next to the bowl of fruit that was there. He took a few of the grapes, popping them into his mouth as he gazed at the snow falling outside.


	11. 10

Lovino sighed softly as the Canadian left the room. He left the living room and headed upstairs. He wasn't exactly cold, but a hot bath seemed like it would be a good idea, especially after sleeping in the grass the day before. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and started filling the bath tub with hot water while he stripped off the clothes he was wearing. It wasn't long before he was relaxing, up to his neck in the hot soapy water.

After a while, Matthew hopped off the counter, stretching with a small yawn. He placed the pot of soup into the refrigerator before walking down the hallway toward his room. The blonde could hear the water running in bathroom, figuring that the Italian was bathing. Shrugging, he entered his bedroom, sprawling out on the bed and staring up at the ceiling before rolling over onto his side and curling around one of his pillows which he snuggled against, closing his eyes to shield them from the light.

Lovino eventually got out of the bath once the water started to chill and dried off before frowning slightly. He wrapped the towel around his waist and made his way down the hall. He was planning on going back downstairs to find the blonde, but noticed the Canadian in his room instead as he passed by. He sighed and knocked on the doorframe to catch Matthew's attention.

Matthew blinked open his eyes when he heard the knocking. He sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. When the blonde looked at the door, a deep blush stained his face as he took in the state of the Italian, staring for perhaps a bit longer than would likely have been socially acceptable. Matthew quickly averted his eyes then, clearing his throat. "U-Umm, may I help you, Lovino?"

Lovino had one hand holding the towel up and the other rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah... I was wondering if you could loan me some more clothes..." His cheeks were a bit pink from his embarrassment and his hair was still lightly damp, a few sparkling drops of water glistening on his neck and shoulders where it dripped.

Matthew nodded, keeping his gaze averted. He turned so that his back was toward the door in order to hide his own blush, sitting cross-legged on the bed. The blonde Canadian pointed in the direction of the closet. "O-Of course. Help yourself," he murmured, closing his eyes.

Lovino made his way over to the closet. "Grazie.." He mumbled softly as he pulled out a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. His cheeks flared bright red as he asked. " Ah....um, what about...um... Boxers.?" Even the tips of his ears were red.

Matthew felt his own face darken even further. Keeping his eyes tightly closed, he gestured in the direction he assumed was the correct one. Clearing his throat, he murmured, "Umm...try the...ah...dresser over yonder?" Matthew dropped his arm, picking at a fraying edge of one of the pillows and waiting for Lovino to finish what he was doing.

Lovino wasted no time in quickly finding a pair of clean boxers in the dresser. He took the clothes and headed out of the room. "Ah... Grazie Matthew..." He clicked the door closed behind him to let the Canadian know he had gone. He headed back to the bathroom to get dressed, his cheeks bright from the embarrassing situation he had found himself in.

Matthew let out a deep, shaky breath once the male left his room. With a small groan, the blonde flopped backwards on his bed, placing his pillow over his face. The image of Lovino standing at his door was seared into his mind, causing his cheeks to heat up just from the thought. Letting out a sigh, he turned over onto his stomach, resting his chin on the pillow. "Mon dieu, seriously, it's only been two days... How am I going to survive for the rest of the time that he's here, eh?" he mused to himself, closing his eyes as he buried his face in the pillow.

Lovino went to his own borrowed room to get dressed. After pulling on the clothes, he draped the towel over the foot of the bed before stretching out across the bed and staring at the ceiling. He felt a bit useless at the moment. So far it seemed like he'd simply worsened the Canadian's life rather than improve it. He sighed and stood up after a few moments and headed down to the greenhouse where he stretched out on the grass near the tomato plants in his full faery appearance. Several of the butterflies landed on the plants nearby while he napped.

Matthew sighed, shifting uncomfortably on his bed as he struggled to go to sleep. His mind was racing and the bed felt too cold and uncomfortable to sleep in, his thoughts instantly going back to Lovino and the way they had ended up cuddled up together. His cheeks flushed darkly when he realized that his sheets and pillow still smelled like the Italian.

After nearly an hour or so, the blonde was just about to drift into unconsciousness when the sound of the doorbell chiming echoed throughout the house, causing the Canadian to jolt upright in his bed.

No one ever visited him, so then who was visiting at this ungodly hour of night?

Swallowing, Matthew grabbed a random shirt and tugged it on, quickly making his way downstairs and to the front door. Biting his lip nervously, he yanked the door open, a heavily bundled figure stumbling through the doorway, causing Matthew to furrow his eyebrows in confusion before his eyes widened when the person straightened up, removing his hat and scarf.

Matthew took a few steps back from the male, a shudder coursing through his body as the Canadian glared at him. "What the  _ hell  _ are you doing here, Alfred?" he hissed, clenching his hands into fists. This was definitely not good. Not good at all. He shouldn’t be there. He couldn’t let his brother be there, not when Lovi was there.

Alfred looked at his brother, furrowing his eyebrows at the Canadian's reaction. "Sheesh, dude. Can't I just swing by to check on my brother?" He brushed himself off, recoiling slightly and leaning against the wall.

Matthew leaned against the opposite wall from the American, crossing his arms. "Al, you haven't visited in FIVE YEARS! And I told you to never come back, especially while you still work as a medical specialist for that damn lab across the border."

Alfred sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair. "I know, dude, but Mattie...I was just worried that you might have gotten hurt because of those creatures escaping, and I don't want my little bro to be hurt, y'know. It's my job as a hero to keep you safe!" He gave a half-hearted grin and a thumbs-up that quickly withered away under Matthew's intensified glare.

By now, Matthew was nearly trembling from suppressed rage. "Oh, yeah? Some fucking hero you are...experimenting on people like you do... They have just as much right to be free as we do! You know how I feel about what you do to them! And I highly doubt that they are as malicious and violent as the media and society make them out to be. They probably only use their magic in a ‘violent’ way in order to protect themselves, much like you would use a gun to protect yourself, or how a wild animal will defend itself. So don't even bother trying to lecture me about how 'dangerous' they are, or some dumb shit that's a waste of my time! You shouldn't have bothered coming back here! Now  _ leave  _ before I have to force you out myself," the Canadian growled out, his eyes slits as he felt the temperature of his skin rise imperceptibly as his temper became more difficult to control.

Alfred gazed coolly at his brother, his face set in a grimace. "Y'know, I was trying to show that I care, dude, but I guess you're still as much of a tree hugger now as you were back then," the American scoffed, tugging on his hat and scarf before heading back to the door. "You better watch your back, since there are still some escaped ones out there. You never know what'll happen, dude," he muttered before storming out of the house and heading to his hovercar and flying off.

Matthew huffed, his hands clenched at his sides as he watched the American leave before closing the door and heading to the kitchen, rubbing the dark circles that were forming under his eyes. He paced back and forth across the kitchen floor, his muscles tense. He felt like a spring that had been wound too tight, his mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and worries.

He didn’t know how long he had ended up pacing for, but eventually a glance at the clock showed that it was nearly three in the morning. The Canadian knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep with as riled up as he was, so he merely fixed a large pot of coffee and pulled up a stool to the counter, working on drinking his first cup which he knew would eventually become about twenty cups or more. He sighed as he stared into the dark steaming liquid in the cup in his hands.

Lovino woke up just before the sun started to rise and frowned as he realized he'd spent the night out in the greenhouse. He watched as the last of the fireflies flickered their last little bit before heading to their hideaways in the multitude of plants in the garden. He stood up and stretched before hiding his wings away and pulling on his borrowed shirt.

Upon entering the house, he could smell the scent of coffee and followed the scent to the kitchen. He frowned at the sight of a rather tired looking Canadian pouring what appeared to be the last of the pot into a mug. He tipped his head to the side. "Oi. Matthew... Did you drink that whole pot of coffee?" He looked a bit worried at the sight of the bags under the blonde's eyes. "Could you not sleep or something?"

Matthew blinked slowly as he looked over at Lovino, a weak smile on his lips. Glancing back down at the cup of coffee, he shook his head and held it out to the Italian fae. "Here. I...probably shouldn't drink anymore…" he mumbled, rubbing his face once Lovino had taken the cup from his hand. "It's...more like three pots. Maybe four. I don't-- I don't know. I never managed to get to sleep."

Lovino's eyes widened as he almost gagged on the coffee. " _ Four pots _ ? What the hell! Why?" He raised an eyebrow, wiping his mouth against the back of his hand. He was quick to set the coffee cup back on the table, tilting the blonde's head up and pressing his hand against Matthew's head to make sure that his fever hadn't ended up coming back overnight. The way that Matthew's hands trembled slightly and the distant haunted look in his eyes had Lovino worried. He'd only just gotten over a fever not that long ago, and he'd be damned if he let Matthew come down with something possibly worse.

A faint smile ghosted across Matthew's lips as he reached up and patted Lovino's hand. "Don't worry. I'm not sick. I just got really...worked up last night…" Chewing on his lip, he looked away at the window and the amount of snow that was piled up outside, frost decorating the glass. Eventually he sighed and turned back to Lovino, his smile gone. "My brother ended up visiting last night."

Lovino froze up, his heart clenching painfully in his chest. No wonder Matthew hadn't been able to sleep. He wasn't sure if  _ he _ would be able to sleep again knowing that Alfred had paid an unwelcome visit to their house. "Did he…? What did he want?" His voice was strained.

Matthew was quick to shake his head. "He just wanted to warn me that you had escaped from the lab. I mean, not specifically  _ you _ , but you know what I mean...  _ A hero's duty _ , he called it." Matthew rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw as his previous anger began to bubble up again. "He pretty much only managed to take about two steps into the house before I cursed him out and told him that if he didn't leave that I was going to force him out. And then he gave some cryptic message about me needing to watch my back and never knowing what'll happen…" The more and more that he thought about it, the more and more it felt like a threat, and the more and more that he worried about Lovino getting caught up in the middle of it. The Italian had already suffered enough as it was…

"Was there any way that he could've known?" Lovino asked, his eyes drifting to Matthew's hand that still lingered on top of his. It made his heart speed up for some reason, and he wasn't sure if he liked the way that it felt or not. He passed it off as nerves from the unpleasant information. After all, it seemed like it wasn't just Lovino whose life would be at risk, if Alfred's threat was to be taken literally.

Shrugging, Matthew stated forlornly at the empty coffee pot. "I don't know. That's what I've been worrying about and couldn't stop trying to think about. Because I know that there's no way that anybody can look into the house or greenhouse. It's all one-way glass: no one can look in from the outside, while only people inside can see through to the outside. And neither of us have been outside except for the one time last night whenever your magic got out of control, but even then the timing of it would be all wrong because the amount of time that it would've taken for Alfred to come over would've been far longer than the time that you had went outside at. Meaning that he would have had to have already been heading over here before you had even stepped foot outside, and even then, nobody should've been able to see you because of the distance that we are from anything else. So the only possibility that I could think of was that if someone had ended up seeing me carry you home, but even then I had kept you wrapped up in my coat so that you'd be able to get warmed up and there weren't even any people to begin with that I saw out because of how late it was and-- Mmph!"

Lovino clamped one of his hands over Matthew's mouth. "Just calm down and breathe, okay? You're getting worked up again and that's not going to do us any good, capische?" Honestly, seeing the man begin to spiral again gave the Italian at least a small glimpse at what Matthew's night had ended up being like, since it seemed as if the rush of words was simply the tip of the iceberg.

Eventually, Matthew simply nodded, and Lovino let out a breath, dropping his hand. The silence didn't last long, however. "Okay, but still, what if--mmrgh!?"

The Italian put his hands on Matthew's cheeks, squishing his face together. "Enough. What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, hoping that the question would be enough to at least derail the Canadian's thoughts for the time being. "I'm going to make you breakfast, and you're going to like it. Got it? There's no way in fucking hell that I'm not letting you cook in the state that you're in. You don't look like you'd be able to tell a damn apple from a tomato!"

Matthew blinked, staring up at Lovino with wide eyes before eventually he let out a small laugh, leaning into the Italian's hands. "You know, that's the nicest way that anybody's ever told me that I look like shit,” he mumbled, his eyelids drooping slightly. In all honesty, it felt...really nice having the warmth of Lovino’s hands pressed against him, and perhaps it was that little bit of security of knowing that the fire fairy was right there beside him that helped Matthew to finally relax.

Lovino snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “And only you would take that as a compliment… Just put your head down and get some rest while I make us something to eat,” he murmured, an unexpected softness to his voice that surprised even himself. “We can worry about all of that other shit later, alright?”

“Yeah. I understand,” Matthew murmured, pillowing his head in his arms and watching as Lovino quickly stepped away to busy himself around the kitchen. His face felt tingly and warm, and it brought a smile to his face. Even with the amount of stress and worries that still lingered at the back of his mind, watching the Italian cook somehow made it easy for him to finally doze off.


	12. 11

Glancing over at Matthew as he continued mixing the ingredients together for pastry dough, Lovino sighed. He felt like the entire situation was his fault. All of the stress and tension that Matthew was put under… He felt as if none of it even would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for him coming into his life. 

Between Matthew coming down sick and now everything beginning to spiral with Alfred showing up, it seemed as though the Canadian’s life was simply becoming a shitshow and Lovino was the cause of it all. He felt like he was just becoming an ever-increasing burden in Matthew’s life. And he hated it. Hated himself for always seeming to be in the way of everybody else’s lives…

And yet he was still selfish. He couldn’t stop wanting to be around Matthew. Couldn’t stop wanting to be the one to make Matthew smile. Couldn’t stop the way that he kept feeling so transfixed on the man. He just couldn’t understand _ why _ though, and he couldn't understand _ why _ he had ended up snuggling with Matthew, and it frustrated him that he couldn't understand what made Matthew so _different _ from everyone else. Other than the fact that he was an actual decent human being. Or technically mage…

And above anything else, he couldn't understand why Matthew _ wanted _Lovino to be around. He'd spent so much time being treated and left to felt like nothing more than his younger brother's shadow, that it made him wonder if Matthew wouldn't just end up treating him the same way as everyone else if Feliciano was around…

Setting the dough aside, Lovino shook his head, washing his hands off before rummaging around in the refrigerator for some berries to make the filling for the pastries. Once he was done and the breakfast was in the oven, he leaned against the counter, his gaze once again finding itself drawn back towards the sleeping Canadian.

The man hadn't moved an inch since he had passed out at the table, apart from the occasional twitch of his fingers and fluttering of his hair with each breath that he took. It made Lovino want to run his fingers through it and feel how soft it was. His gaze drifted down to his own hands and the small flame that he had subconsciously summoned between his fingers. He already knew how soft Matthew's skin felt…

Lovino shook his head, pushing those thoughts away with a blush as he pulled the mixed berry pastries out of the oven. Placing them onto a plate, he poured two glasses of milk, warming them up slightly before carrying everything over to the table. Clearing his throat, the fire fae tapped Matthew on the shoulder. “Oi. Wake up. Breakfast is ready.”

“...Five more minutes…” came the mumbled reply from the Canadian as he half-attempted to bury his face into his arms, but eventually the alluring scent of the pastries made him reluctantly withdraw from the dark cavern that his arms had created. “Those smell really good… Raspberry, blackberry, and...mint?” he asked with a pleased hum, blearily opening a single violet eye to look up at Lovino. His expression was quick to turn to one of concern whenever he saw the Italian though, the Canadian quickly becoming alert as he hesitantly reached out a hand. “You’ve been crying. Are you okay? Did something happen?”

The Italian flinched, his eyes widening as he turned his head away and quickly brought his hand up to his cheeks. Moisture stained his fingertips when he pulled it away. He hadn’t even realized that he had been crying at all. “Tch! I’m fine. I’ve just...been thinking about _ mio fratello _ is all,” he mumbled, rubbing his hand against his face to erase any signs of the tears.

Matthew frowned slightly, turning his chair slightly to face Lovino. Worrying his lip between his teeth, he reached his hand out, gently touching the other’s arm when it looked like Lovino was about to move away. His heart ached for the fire fae, for being ripped away from his family for so long and kept in captivity and experimented on. Matthew couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must’ve been like… “Would you like a hug?” he murmured, a small reassuring smile on his face.

Opening his mouth, Lovino was about to bite out a refusal, but as he looked down, looked at the open and reassuring emotions on the blonde’s face, any retort that was on his tongue instantly died. Instead, a flush made its way to his cheeks as he crossed his arms. “F-Fine. If you insist…” Lovino grumbled, shuffling his way back over to the Canadian and plopping down on his lap. Leaning his head against Matthew’s shoulder, he wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist.

Matthew blinked in surprise as he suddenly found himself with an Italian in his lap. That...hadn’t been what he was expecting at all, but he wasn’t going to complain in the slightest. He let out a content sigh as he leaned his head against the top of Lovino’s, wrapping his arms around him and gently running his fingers through the other man’s hair. Having Lovino this close to him was...relaxing. There was a sense of security and contentment in knowing that the Italian was safe in his arms, even if it made his heart feel as if it were a wild horse running through his chest.

"You know you don't have to hide that you're crying around me, right? I understand what it's like to miss family… _ And _ I used to cry about every little thing when I was little," Matthew murmured, an embarrassed blush rising up his neck. "Every time that a flower or butterfly would die, I remember getting so upset about it and telling Maman that I wanted to have a funeral for them. She ended up humoring me for a little bit, but once fall had ended up rolling around and everything ended up dying even faster, she had to sit me down and explain about death… Not that her words had ended up mattering much when our cat had ended up dying. I was inconsolable for weeks afterward. I think I was only about three or four at the time? It's hard to remember since it was that long ago… I know it probably sounds pretty silly though..."

Lovino snorted softly, his fingers tangling into the back of Matthew's shirt. He'd never admit it out loud, but he liked the way that he ran his fingers through his hair. In a way, it reminded him of when his grandfather used to soothe him back to sleep whenever he'd had a nightmare when he was little. "I don't think it's silly," Lovino mumbled against Matthew's shoulder, feeling the way that the Canadian's heart raced in his chest. "I think it suits you. Because like I said before, you're too damn nice." He paused for a moment. "I think I would like your mother, if she was able to raise a son like you."

The smile on Matthew's face fell slightly as he sighed. "I'm sure she would've liked you too…" he murmured, reaching over to the table and picking up on of the pastries, holding it next to Lovino's mouth. "How about after we eat...you can write the letter to your family that you had talked about doing the other day? I'm going to need to go to town soon anyways, so it would be a good opportunity to get everything done at once."

The Italian frowned slightly at the sudden change of topics, though he stayed silent about it, opting instead to take a bite of the offered breakfast. He watched with a blush as Matthew ate the other half of the pastry, the berry filling staining the corners of his lips. “I suppose that wouldn’t be a bad idea… What do you need to go to town for anyways?” Lovino asked, raising an eyebrow. The big question though would be what he would end up doing while Matthew was gone. He’d gotten used to spending almost all of his time around the Canadian, after all.

Picking up another, Matthew shrugged, watching as Lovino nibbled at the pastry. “I know I’m not much for technology, but I’ve been thinking about trying to find some sort of security system to put on the outside of the house. Just for a bit of peace of mind that no one’s trying to spy or come around for whatever reason.” He shoved the rest of the tart into his mouth, mumbling, “I don’t want to risk anything happening to you, and I’m sure it would help both of us sleep better at night knowing that there’d be something to alert us if someone was trying to be a nosy shithead.”

Licking some of the warm berries off of his lips, Lovino nodded slowly. He hadn’t even thought about getting something like that. It seemed like Matthew was already two steps ahead, and it felt...nice knowing that the mage had actually put Lovino’s safety as a priority. It certainly alleviated some of his earlier fears. “I sure as Hell know that it would make me feel better,” he mumbled, licking his thumb and wiping some of the red-purple sweetness from the corner of Matthew’s mouth, his thumb lingering on the Canadian’s lip.

Matthew blinked slowly at the contact to his lips, a blush heating up his face. A shiver ran down his spine as Lovino eventually pulled his hand away. Licking his lips to try to make the tingling sensation go away, Matthew nodded. “That’s what I was hoping,” he murmured. “I’ll probably try to go tomorrow as long as the weather doesn’t get worse. I do want to get it as soon as possible. I’m just hoping that we won’t have anymore unannounced visitors… If I were physically capable of going today…”

“You’re in no state to be going out there with as tired as you are,” Lovino scoffed, taking his glass of milk from the table and sipping the warm liquid. It was mostly in an effort to keep his hands busy and to try to distract himself from the way that Matthew’s lip had felt against his thumb. How soft and warm his skin was… It made him feel far too curious for his own good. Clearing his throat, the fire fae quickly stood up, his legs feeling slightly wobbly as he placed the cup back on the table. “So where was that paper for the letter?” he asked, glad to actually have something that he’d be able to do to occupy himself.

Clearing his throat, Matthew nodded, picking up his own glass of milk. He already missed having Lovino’s warmth against him. “I know I’m not. That’s why I’m waiting…” he murmured, downing half of the glass before taking a bite of another pastry. “The room next to my bedroom is an office with all of the books I mentioned before. There’ll be a desk in there that has all kinds of stationery and pens in there for you to use.”

Lovino nodded slowly, glancing off towards the hallway. “Grazie. I’ll let you know when I’m done,” he said, heading off towards the office. When he reached the entrance to the hallway though, he stopped, placing a hand on the wall as he turned to look back at Matthew. “What are you going to do? Take a nap?”

A small, tired smile pulled at Matthew’s lips as he finished off his pastry and milk. “I’m going to try to...if I can even manage to get to sleep. I’m probably going to go out into the greenhouse though. In case you need to find me,” the Canadian murmured, grabbing one final pastry before standing up and walking over to Lovino. He patted his shoulder gently. “Good luck with your writing though. I know you probably have a lot that you want to be able to tell your family…” His gaze flickered briefly to the wounds that were still prominent around Lovino’s wrists, his gaze softening. “...Or maybe not,” Matthew added as he walked past the Italian and headed to the greenhouse.

All Lovino could do was stare after Matthew once the other walked away. “Yeah…” His shoulders sagged as he sighed, shaking his head and stepping inside the office that Matthew had mentioned. The first thing that he saw when he stepped inside were the books. Every wall of the room was lined with books. He wasn’t even sure if he had ever seen so many of them in one place before. Not even his Nonno had that many… Shaking his head again to clear his thoughts, Lovino stepped over to the desk in the center of the room, sitting down in the chair and pulling out several pieces of paper and a pen from the drawer.

“Dear Fratello and Nonno,” he mumbled as he wrote, “I know it’s been a long time since you’ve heard from me. Sorry if it worried you. I’m doing fine now though. I’m staying with someone for the time being. He saved my life, and he’s not bad for a human.” Lovino paused, chewing on his lip in thought. Should he tell them about Matthew? He wanted to. “He’s even promised to help me get home after the weather warms up here. It’s way too fucking cold for travel right now. But it’s fine. I don’t mind it here with Matthew. He’s...someone that I think you both would like. And I think I like him more than I should...”


	13. 12

The scents and warmth of the greenhouse enveloped Matthew as he walked through the door. Familiar. Relaxing. It was his home and where he had always felt most at peace and where he would go to think. And he felt as though he had a lot of thinking to do at the moment. It wasn't just about his brother's visit though. No, it was far more than that.

Ever since he had found Lovino, he kept feeling drawn to the fire faery, his thoughts quickly devolving into thoughts about  _ him _ . His smirk, the sound of his voice, the way his hazel eyes glimmered when amused, the feel of his skin, the heat he always seemed to radiate, the beauty of both of his forms, the gentleness he always showed to Matthew, the tingling of his magic…

A frown quickly formed on Matthew's lips. That was another new thing that he had discovered since meeting Lovino: he had magic. Magic that he had absolutely no control over and couldn't use on command. He didn't know what the extent of his powers were or how dangerous they could possibly be.

All he knew was that he could make plants grow and make faeries reveal their true form. The first was useful and had helped sustain his livelihood for years. The second...made him a danger to Lovino, even if Lovino had insisted that he would've been capable of resisting the magic if he had wanted to. He wished that he could ask Lovino for help on how to learn to control his magic, but when Matthew didn't even know how to deliberately summon his powers, he wasn't sure what Lovino would be able to do to help.

Sighing, Matthew plopped down under one of the willow trees near the back of the greenhouse, a yawn slipping from his lips as he leaned back against the trunk. The faintest smile spread across his face as one of the large red butterflies fluttered over to him and landed on his shoulder. “You know… I really wish I knew what to do…” he mumbled, his eyes beginning to slowly slip closed. “I wish I knew how to control whatever magic I have. I wish I knew the best way forward and the best way to keep Lovino safe. I wish I knew how he really feels about me or if I’m just being toyed with… Sometimes it feels like I’m reading too much into his actions because of how I hope and want things to be… How I  _ want _ him to feel about me…”

Matthew let out a small laugh, rubbing his hand against his eyes and leaning his head back against the tree. “That sounds so stupid, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m just...tired and overthinking things.” He glanced down at the butterfly, who fluttered its wings slightly in response. If only he could tell what the butterfly was saying… “I don’t suppose that you’d be able to help me with my magic, eh?” He sighed when the butterfly merely flitted away towards a patch of flowers. “Didn’t think so…”

Chewing on his lip lightly, Matthew placed his hands against the ground in front of him, closing his eyes and attempting to conjure up some sort of magic.  _ Grow… Grow… Grow… _ Peeking open an eye, he had to keep himself from slumping with disappointment that nothing had happened. Honestly, he hadn’t been expecting anything to happen, but part of him still had hoped that it would end up being that easy.

“I need sleep anyways… Maybe when I wake up…” he mumbled absentmindedly, stretching out against the ground. A pleased sigh fell from his lips when his back popped before he settled back, watching the branches of the weeping willow gently sway above him, the tendrils seeming to dip and dance above him like a mobile above a baby’s crib. He could almost imagine that they were arms reaching down to hold him.

Surrounded by the warmth and familiar scents, it wasn’t long before Matthew had managed to drift into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in a long time.

Meanwhile, Lovino grumbled under his breath as he wadded up one of the pages of his letter into a ball for what was at least the tenth time, tossing its charred remains into the trash bin next to the desk. Writing the letter had become a daunting task, mostly because he wasn’t sure what he should or shouldn’t put in it.

How much did he really want his grandfather and brother to know, after all?

Part of him wanted to just keep gushing about Matthew and all of the amazing things about the Canadian and his greenhouse and everything that he was willing to do to help Lovino. He wanted to talk about his beliefs and how there were actually good humans. He wanted to talk about the fact that Matthew had  _ magic _ …

His hand stilled on the paper as he sighed, crumbling up yet another draft. No, Lovino couldn't do that. He couldn't just give away Matthew's secret like that. There was no telling who could end up possibly intercepting the letter and reading it. Then they would both be in more danger than they already were in, especially after Alfred's visit last night.

"I don't think I'd be able to fucking live with myself if something happened to Matthew because of me…" Lovino mumbled, running his hands back through his hair. "I mean, fuck, I have a life debt to him. Doing something like that would be counterintuitive to me paying off my debt…"

And yet...he didn't feel even remotely happy at the idea of being free from the blonde. Hell, he'd never felt as much freedom in his entire life than he did while living with Matthew. Not when he had been with his family and certainly not while he had been the scientists' labrat…

As much as Lovino did wish that he could see his family, and even with as much as Matthew kept insisting that he would help him get back to Italy… There was a part of Lovino that wondered how Matthew would feel about the fire faery staying with him forever. Living a simple life of caring for the plants in the greenhouse, lounging together under the trees, cooking for Matthew, curling up against his chest, wanting to kiss--

Lovino's eyes widened, heat suddenly flooding his face and his heart pounding in his chest, small flames sparking to life at his fingertips as he wrenched his hands away from the paper.  _ “Fuck!  _ Why am I thinking like that!? I’ve never-- And he-- It has to be his damn magic from that night that he had played the music. Because there’s no way that I could want--” He stopped himself, clenching his hands with a defeated sigh.

No, if he was being honest with himself, he had started getting that feeling even before he had heard Matthew’s singing and violin. It wasn’t fair for him to blame something on the blonde that was completely out of his control, something that wasn’t his fault.

“He hasn’t done anything to deserve that,” the Italian mumbled to himself, quickly finishing scrawling out the final page of his letter and sealing it away in an envelope. Leaving the letter on the desk as he left the office, Lovino glanced at the clock in the kitchen as he passed by, a weary laugh slipping from his lips. “Six fucking hours to write a damn letter… What kind of bullshit is that?”

Rolling his eyes, Lovino jogged the rest of the way to the greenhouse, stretching his arms out as he was greeted by the warmth within and a small swarm of butterflies. “Where’s Matthew?” he asked, his gaze soon catching on a familiar bright red butterfly fluttering in front of him, expecting the fae to follow after it. “Alright then…”

Shrugging lightly, Lovino followed after the winged creature towards the back of the greenhouse where a weeping willow stood. His eyebrows furrowed together after a few moments, not seeing any sign of the Canadian anywhere. At least...not until he looked  _ up. _

Fifteen feet above his head, there was a mass of branches that looked as though they had been woven together into a hammock-like structure. Lovino could just make out one of Matthew’s hands hanging over the side. “Hey Matthew!” the fire fae called out, rolling his eyes when he only received a grunt in response. Shrugging off his borrowed shirt, Lovino let his wings unfurl behind him and fluttered up to sit on the edge of the makeshift hammock-like structure.

A deep flush stained Lovino’s cheeks as he gazed over Matthew’s contently sleeping form, leaves tangled in the golden locks of hair and a sliver of his stomach peeking out from beneath the hem of his shirt. The briefest thought crossed Lovino’s mind, wondering what the Canadian looked like shirtless before he pushed the idea away, gently shaking Matthew’s shoulder. “Hey, wake up.”

Matthew’s eyebrows furrowed together as he was gently pried out of his unconsciousness. With a soft grumble, he rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes. “I don’t wanna…” he mumbled, though he begrudgingly pushed himself into a half-sitting position. Forcing one eye open, Matthew glanced up at Lovino with a small smile. “Is everything okay? Did you finish your letter?”

Biting his lip, the Italian nodded slowly. "Yes, I finished it finally… I was just wondering if you were hungry since it's been about six hours, and I figured that we both needed to eat," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck before scrunching up his nose in confusion. "Also, how did you get up in the tree like this?" Though now that he thought about it, there was the faint familiar feeling of magic permeating the air.

That was when the blonde tilted his head to the side in confusion. “What are you talking about? I’m on the…” He trailed off as he glanced over the edge of the makeshift hammock, looking down. “Ground…” Matthew stiffened, much more awake and aware in an instant.

And as if they were reacting to Matthew's sudden awareness, as if they had gained  _ sentience, _ the branches seemed to come alive around them, quickly uncoiling and retreating back into the depths of the tree.

“Holy shit!” Lovino leaped back in surprise when the willow branches began to move, his wings keeping him hovering safely in the air. Trees didn’t move that way. Their branches weren’t supposed to act like living creatures.

At least Lovino was able to fly out of the way, but unfortunately Matthew didn’t have the same ability, the branches supporting the blonde dwindled away before disappearing altogether as he began to fall. “Lovi--”

“Don’t worry; I’ve got you!” the faery exclaimed, grabbing onto Matthew’s outstretched hand with a grunt as he tried to keep Matthew from hitting the ground. Unfortunately, Lovino hadn’t compensated enough for the sudden weight change--partially because he wasn’t back up to his full strength after his time in captivity, partially because he hadn’t expected Matthew to be so heavy--and the pair tumbled to the ground together in a heap, ending with Lovino sprawled across the blonde’s chest.

Matthew let out a pained groan as he rubbed the back of his head. Propping himself up on an elbow, he shifted his other arm around Lovino’s waist, being mindful of the delicate-looking iridescent wings and looking down at the Italian. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked, squinting against the pounding in his head. “I, uh...don’t really know how that happened…”

Bracing his hands against Matthew's chest, Lovino looked up at the blonde. "I'm fine. You were just heavier than I was expecting…" he mumbled, reaching up and flicking a few stray leaves out of Matthew's hair, taking careful note of the blush that spread across the Canadian's face as he did so. "Are  _ you _ okay?" Lovino asked gently, noticing the way that Matthew winced slightly when he threaded his fingers into the back of his hair.

"It's fine. Just hit the back of my head a bit harder than I probably needed to, but I'll live. I've survived a lot worse," Matthew mumbled, his fingers absentmindedly tracing little designs against Lovino's back, making the brunette shiver and shift to straddle the Canadian's lap.

"I can fix that, you know… Just close your eyes," Lovino murmured, watching as Matthew followed his directions without hesitation. It made him wonder just how much he trusted the Italian. Letting his magic flow into his fingertips, he gently massaged his fingers through Matthew’s hair against his scalp.

The relief that flooded Matthew’s features was nearly instantaneous as the aches and pains of their tumble from the tree began to fade away. And with the other's eyes closed, Lovino allowed himself the opportunity to take in all of the small details of his face.

The tanned complexion that did its best to hide the faint spattering of freckles across his cheeks and bridge of his nose. Long eyelashes the same golden color as his hair, a color that made Lovino think of honey and wanted to imagine were just as soft as the wavy locks his fingers were currently threading through. The occasional twitch his nose made when he breathed. The subtle way that Matthew's teeth occasionally snagged his lower lip. The warmth of his breath and smoothness of his skin as Lovino trailed his thumb across Matthew's cheek and down to the back of his neck.

And being in his full fae form this  _ close  _ to him, Lovino could sense things that would've otherwise slipped his notice. The rapid rhythm of Matthew's heart hammering against his chest. The blonde's  _ scent  _ that was somewhere between something flowering and the faintest hint of the earth after it rained, of green things and new life, of something distinctly  _ Other _ that it surprised Lovino that he hadn't noticed it before, though perhaps it was simply the residue of whatever magic that Matthew had used earlier. His gaze trailed down to Matthew's lips, the question that had been plaguing his mind resurfacing once again.

Matthew's eyebrows furrowed together slightly as his fingers on Lovino's back stilled from their absentminded doodling, though his eyes remained closed. "Lovino? Are you okay? You're shaking... I don't want you to end up straining yourself if using your magic is going to be too much right now."

In all honesty, the fae hadn't even realized how badly his hands had started to shake and his wings trembling, and only Lovino knew exactly  _ why.  _ Which was why he chose the coward's way out rather than confronting his feelings, quickly withdrawing himself from Matthew’s lap and rubbing his wrists. "R-Right… I guess I got a bit carried away...with using my magic. I’ve never been that good with healing magic in the first place and have always had a bit more trouble with it than fire,” Lovino mumbled, letting his wings shimmer out of existence as he picked up his borrowed shirt and slipped it back on. “You can open your eyes again, by the way.”

A small frown pulled at Matthew’s lips as he rubbed at his eyes, looking up at Lovino. He was...worried about the brunette. Something seemed to be off, but he couldn’t quite tell what it was. Maybe he was still too tired to understand. Picking himself off the ground, Matthew dusted his pants and shirt off, glancing over with a bit of concern. There were so many things that he wanted to be able to say, to be able to ask, but he wasn’t sure what or how he’d be able to say them. “Please be careful… That’s all I ask of you. I don’t want you to do anything that might end up hurting you. I know you’re still healing from what you went through at the lab, and I want you to focus on getting better and stronger. I don’t want you to end up exhausting yourself for my sake… Even if it did make me feel better.” Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his face as a red butterfly fluttered over and landed on his shoulder. “Let’s go eat. You were hungry, yeah?”

“I’ll be fine.” Biting his lip, Lovino nodded hesitantly, already hating the sinking feeling that felt like it was crushing his chest. On the other hand though, Matthew did seem to be genuinely concerned about his well-being, and that felt...nice. He just hated himself for not being able to confront his own possible feelings. Of course, it didn’t help that the same red butterfly was there, silently judging him and his actions, because it had obviously been watching them. Stepping over to Matthew, he shooed the annoying insect off the blonde’s shoulder. “But yes. Food. We need to eat.”

Matthew’s stomach growling merely confirmed the statement, cutting through some of the tension that had been building. Letting out an awkward laugh as his cheeks flushed, the Canadian nodded. “I guess we do… Let’s go warm up the ratatouille, and I’ll make us some hot tea,” he murmured, starting back towards the house with Lovino soon jogging to catch up beside him. Whatever questions that Matthew had about what was wrong or about learning to control his own magic or about what had happened with the tree… It could all wait.

“Tea?” Lovino asked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. The faintest hint of a smirk pulled at his lips. “And here I thought that you’d end up saying that you were going to make more coffee.”

The teasing comment made Matthew’s nose scrunch up slightly. “I think I’m going to be laying off the coffee for a while, if it’s all the same to you. I’d like to be able to sleep without caffeine-induced...whatever that was with the tree. I don’t really want to analyze that until I wake up some more though. Maybe after we eat…”

The fire faery fell silent for a few moments, his thoughts having been so preoccupied about Matthew and being that close to him that he had completely spaced what had happened with the tree just prior to all of his panic. Because now that he thought about it, the tree gaining sentience was definitely something important that needed to be looked into. Matthew was right though; not right now. “After we eat,” Lovino agreed, opening the door to the house and following the mage inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And at long last, the much awaited continuation...continues!  
Between finally finishing up the 20 chapter (!!!) RomaCan fanfic "Somewhere in Neverland" <s>which was only supposed to end up being a one-shot but ended up taking on a life of its own, R.I.P. me</s> and work and life in general kicking my ass, I've FINALLY managed to get this chapter out.  
I definitely appreciate everyone's patience and all of the support from you guys.  
Also a big shout-out to @flyinggrayson for your comments on the last chapter! Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!


	14. 13

Setting the pot of ratatouille on the stove to warm back up, Matthew stared at the soon bubbling stew, glancing over every now and then to watch Lovino prepare the tea that he had insisted on making for them. There were so many questions running through his mind that he wasn't sure what to make of any of them. Most of it revolved around Alfred’s visit and the threats towards Lovino’s safety. But a large part also consisted of Matthew’s newly discovered magic powers.

If he was being honest though, he was more distracted by the lingering sensations of Lovino’s fingers against his lips and the back of his head. As he stared at the stew, Matthew found his thumb reaching up and brushing against his lip as if he could recreate the feeling from earlier that morning.

No, the more that he thought about it, the more that Matthew couldn’t help feeling as though there had been something...off with Lovino’s actions just moments ago. Or perhaps he should count the entire day. At the same time though, who was Matthew to judge what might be considered “off” with Lovino? After all, it wasn’t as though they had known each other for very long, so perhaps he was simply reading too much into the fae’s actions.

“Oi, Matthew?”

“Huh?” The blonde blinked in surprise, snapping out of his slowly spiraling thoughts as he looked over at Lovino removing the pot from the stove, one of his eyebrows raised in concern.

“You were spacing out for quite a while. Are you okay?” Lovino asked, his brows furrowing together as Matthew’s face flushed. Which, to the Italian, only seemed all the more worrisome as he pressed the back of his hand to the Canadian’s forehead. He didn’t feel like he had a fever, but at the same time, Lovino couldn’t be completely sure, especially with the way that Matthew still seemed to be in a daze. “If you’re still feeling sick, then you shouldn’t be straining yourself so much. I can handle taking care of you and everything around the house until you get better.”

Matthew reached up, gently grabbing Lovino’s wrist and pulling the Italian’s hand from his forehead. “No, no. Sorry. It’s fine. I’m fine. I was just...thinking. About everything.” He stared down at Lovino’s hand as he gently ran his thumb against the man’s wrist, staying mindful of the persistent injuries that remained there. It made a small frown tug at Matthew’s lips. “If anything,  _ you _ should be the one resting after everything that you’ve gone through. You don’t need to push yourself so much.” A small smile soon ghosted across his lips as he patted Lovino’s hand with his free hand. “There’s no need for you to try so hard to prove yourself or your loyalty to me. I trust you, Lovi. You already earned that much...”

The words shocked Lovino, his mouth opening and closing for a few moments as he tried to find  _ something _ to say. It wasn't often that he could say that he was taken completely off-guard, and he found that this happened to be one of those times. His face flushed darkly, his fingers tightening around Matthew's when the blonde was about to pull his hand away. "I wasn't-- That's not-- I'm-- I hadn't been trying to…" he eventually fumbled out, each stumbling word only making his face burn hotter in embarrassment. "Like I keep telling you, you’re just too damned nice, and it would make me feel like I’d be taking advantage of you if I just slacked off like a lazy ass bum around here…”

Raising an eyebrow, Matthew huffed out a small breath of laughter although his face flushed as he glanced down at their hands linked together. “Lovino. There’s a difference between resting in order to heal, and simple laziness. It’s important for you to be able to rest and heal and get back up to full strength…” He trailed off, melancholy filling his eyes as he turned away from the fae and stared outside at the snowdrifts.

Whatever embarrassment that Lovino had felt was quick to dissipate as a cold sense of sobriety made him shiver, his hand tightening almost painfully around Matthew’s. But if it bothered Matthew, the blonde didn’t make any mention of it or try to pull away. “Oi, you listen here…”

But Matthew was already shaking his head, cutting him off. “No. I know you’re not human. That you’re not weak in a way that a human is weak. I know that you’ve endured an...unimaginable amount of horrific, inhumane things… But…” Violet eyes stared down at Lovino, a storm of emotions clashing in their depths as he gently cradled Lovino’s cheek in the palm of his free hand. “But right now, neither of us is capable of going up against any of the dangers that we could easily be faced with if the police or government comes knocking on our door. I may have magic, but I can’t even use it. At least, not on command. Which makes me useless--”

“You’re not useless--”

“--in that situation, and a liability,” Matthew continued on, despite Lovino’s interjection, propping his hip back against the countertop and tilting his head back to frown up at the ceiling. “You’d be the only one between us that would be able to fight your way out. But not in the condition that you’re in right now. Sure, there’s always a chance that we’d be able to make it out alive, but those chances would be very slim and likely almost nonexistent. You’d end up getting sent straight back to the hell that you just escaped from, and I would likely be killed on the spot as an enemy of the state or aiding and abetting a wanted fugitive.  _ Some  _ sort of excuse that they’d pull out of their asses to justify what they were doing. That’s provided that they don’t end up knowing about my magic. If they did? They’d end up experimenting on us both, I’m sure… And if we were captured, we may as well say that we’re as good as dead, since I’m sure they’ll have ended up putting in security measures to prevent another breakout from happening again.”

Matthew’s hand tightened around Lovino’s, his eyes soon finding the fire fae’s, and it made the Italian’s breath catch in his throat with the seriousness and fatigue in the blonde’s expression. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since last night. Perhaps that’s what’s been subconsciously bothering me so much as of late. One of the reasons why I keep suggesting for you to get out of the country. So that you can be safer… Which only adds to the seriousness of the reason of why you  _ should _ be focusing on resting. That way you can escape if something goes wrong or you get discovered here.” He sighed as his thumb gently, almost absentmindedly, rubbed against Lovino’s cheek. A self-deprecating smile soon spread across Matthew’s face. “But then… I would be a fool to think that it would be any safer for you back over in Italy… After all, you were captured from  _ there  _ and brought  _ here _ … But at least you'd be far enough away that it would buy you some time to find someplace safer…”

Lovino bit down on his lip, staring up at Matthew. He was starting to get rather accustomed to the blonde’s sporadically long speeches, especially when it seemed as though the Canadian had put so much thought into everything. When it was obvious that these were things that had been bothering him for a while. When it was obvious that above anything else, he seemed to hold Lovino’s safety as a priority above his own health and well-being. So much so, that Lovino couldn’t help but to be concerned over the possibility of Matthew working himself to death…  _ He’s a human. Fragile and mortal… _

“And what if I don’t want to go?” Lovino blurted out, catching Matthew off-guard with the statement. And not for the first time, he felt that unexplainable pull in his chest as he wet his lips with his tongue, swallowing around the sudden knot in his throat. He took a tentative step closer to Matthew until their toes touched.  _ He keeps sounding like he’s going to end up sacrificing himself or throwing his own life away in order to protect me. And I don’t want to think about that ever happening… _ Furrowing his eyebrows together, Lovino puffed out a breath. “What if I didn’t want to go anywhere without you?”

Violet eyes widened as Matthew caught his lower lip between his teeth, his heart pounding against his ribs so hard that it nearly made them ache. If only those words were meant in the way that he wished that they were.

“Lovi…” The countertop dug into Matthew’s lower back as Lovino seemed to drift even closer to the blonde. Or perhaps it was Matthew that was pulling the fae closer, his eyes scanning the other’s face almost desperately, as if searching for answers. He hadn’t even noticed when his hand had become tangled into the back of Lovino’s hair, the silky locks wrapping around his fingers. Any other words that he tried to muster merely died away before he had a chance to intelligently string them into a sentence.

It was the first time that Lovino realized just how  _ tall _ Matthew was, the Canadian towering several inches over him. For some reason though, it had never seemed like there had ever been that much of a difference between their heights. And somehow… Lovino found himself not minding it as much as he would've thought.

A shiver ran down his spine as his gaze flickered across Matthew's face, his free hand bracing itself on the counter behind Matthew. And in spite of himself, Lovino could vividly imagine what it would feel like to lean forward past the few remaining inches between each other and capture Matthew’s lips with his own; to slip his hands beneath his shirt, trailing his fingers against the soft, smooth expanses of Matthew’s skin; to press their bodies close until the space between them had vanished, until they were all but melded together, leaving nothing but the heat between their bodies. He could imagine Matthew’s hand tightening in his hair to tilt his head back, lips and tongue and teeth exploring his neck. And because it was  _ Matthew _ , Lovino could imagine him whispering sweet, soothing words against his skin with each kiss, with each bite, with each--

A muffled yelp escaped his throat as his face was suddenly smushed against Matthew’s chest, the blonde propping his chin on top of his head with a sigh.

“That’s enough of your teasing for one night,” Matthew murmured, ruffling Lovino’s hair. The oddly happy tone in his voice belied the rapid thumping of his heart, the faint tremors in his hands, the deep flush permeating his cheeks. “You’re going to end up giving me a heart attack if you keep it up.” Clearing his throat, Matthew gently pulled the faery back away from him, his voice taking on a cheery tone. “Now, come on and let’s eat before the food ends up getting cold!”

Lovino blinked slowly, standing stuck in place and suddenly feeling very cold without the Canadian standing close to him anymore. He watched Matthew busy himself with preparing their bowls of ratatouille and carrying everything over to the table. Still, he couldn’t calm the racing of his heart...nor the embarrassment that he felt.  _ At least Matthew’s acting calmly… But then why do I feel so...disappointed? _

Grumbling under his breath, Lovino shuffled over to the table. “You know I can just warm it back up…” he mumbled as he sat down, pursing his lips as the tea and stew were scooted closer to him, staring at the steam rising from its surface.

“I know,” Matthew stated simply, almost hesitantly as he added, “but like I said, I don’t want you to have to use your magic unless you need to.”

“I know,” Lovino mumbled, shoveling a spoonful of the stew into his mouth. Admittedly, it tasted even better than it did last night. However, that didn’t help to brighten his mood any. “But I also know my own damn limits, especially when it comes to my magic, and I haven’t even gotten close to overexerting myself at all!”

The statement caused Matthew to pause, his spoon halfway to his mouth and his eyebrows furrowing together. Part of him felt...hurt, and he didn’t know why. “If that’s the case…” he murmured, placing his spoon back into the bowl and propping his elbows on the table as he fixed Lovino with an impenetrable stare. “Then why did you lie to me earlier out in the greenhouse? Especially with as much as you've emphasized being straightforward with one another so that things don't become tense with us living together…" Perhaps that was the reason. And the fact that he felt stupid for not noticing something had been off with the way that Lovino had reacted earlier.

The question caused Lovino to tense as he realized that he had just contradicted himself, his expression settling into a grimace. But even if he was loath to admit it, Matthew was right. The fae had been the first to make the suggestion, and now here he was being a hypocrite about it himself. The guilt, coupled with Matthew's unwavering stare, made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. “Right…” Sighing, he ran his hands through his hair, glancing out the window. “Sorry… I guess I’m still new at this too. And it’s not fair of me to expect you to put in more effort…” He paused for a moment, biting his lip and watching Matthew’s reflection in the window. “I guess the best way I can explain it is...that I just ended up feeling really nervous... Especially with everything that’s happened the last few days…”

_ Falling asleep and accidentally cuddling together... Matthew practically moaning when I massaged his neck… Wearing nothing but a towel in front of him at one point… Hugging and sitting on his lap at breakfast… The feeling of his magic or even just his skin against mine… The moment just a little bit ago... _

Blinking slowly, Matthew finally glanced back down at his food, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright. I understand… I know everything has probably been a big adjustment, and likely not the  _ easiest _ of adjustments. So if there’s anything that you end up needing to have an easier time here…” he murmured, picking up his tea and beginning to sip on the hot liquid.

At least until several choice words came blurting out of Lovino’s mouth, surprising both of them.

“I wanted to kiss you, Matthew!”

The Canadian choked on his drink, spewing out the hot tea as his cup slipped from his hand. The tea splattered across his shirt and pants, seeping through the fabric and scalding his skin beneath as he leapt backwards with a yelp, knocking his chair over in the process. “Shit!”

“Matthew!” Lovino immediately shot to his feet, his own chair clattering to the ground as he reached a hand out towards Matthew, but the Canadian was already shaking his head and hurrying his way out of the room. A sinking feeling of anxiety, guilt, and despair made his heart clench painfully in his chest as he scrambled to follow after the blonde. “M-Matthew! Wait!”

Before Lovino could manage to catch up to Matthew, however, the other had already managed to dash off into one of the other rooms and disappear from sight. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, he forced his feet to move forward despite the way that they wanted to stay rooted to the ground. He hesitantly knocked against each of the doors that he came to, receiving no answer from behind each one until he reached the bathroom, hearing the water running inside.

"Matthew?" he called out hesitantly, hating the way his voice wavered as he pressed his hands against the door.  _ Surely he doesn't hate me now...does he? He ran off so quickly without saying anything… Why did I have to open my fucking mouth? Everything is going to be ruined now, and he's going to hate me now, and he's going to end up kicking me out, and then I'm going to freeze to death, and-- _

Lovino's train of thought came to an abrupt halt as the door opened and he fell face-first against Matthew’s chest, the blonde’s arms quick to wrap around him to help steady him.

“Sorry…” Matthew’s voice was a soft rumble in his chest as he gently stroked Lovino’s hair, listening to the other sniffle softly. “I’m sorry if I worried you,” he continued, moving his hands to cup the fire fae’s face and wipe away the tears that were once again staining his skin. “It’s just a little burn. I’ll be fine. I just wanted to get the shirt off and get the burn treated before it got any worse. It’s not your fault.”

“But--” Lovino started to speak, only to be cut off by a finger being pressed to his lips as he stared up at Matthew and that gentle smile that always seemed to be on his face. It made his heart ache in his chest.

“Trust me, Lovi. When I say it’s not your fault, I mean it. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just being honest, and that’s not something that I can fault you for,” Matthew murmured. The look of despair that had been on Lovino’s face when he had first opened the door… He hadn’t meant to make the Italian feel bad; he had just been acting on instinct to take care of the burn from the tea. That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t been completely shocked by Lovino’s comment though. “These last few days have been pretty hectic, so how about we try to get some rest, eh? I’ll get everything cleaned up in the morning, okay? And we can talk some more then.”

Matthew didn’t miss the mixture of relief and disappointment that swirled through Lovino’s eyes when he finished speaking, the fae’s shoulders slumping. His next words still took him by surprise though. “So you...don’t hate me? Because of what I said?”

“Hate you?” Matthew’s eyes widened before he let out a small laugh, resting a hand on top of Lovino’s shoulder. “Never. There’s nothing that you could say or do that could make me hate you. I’m certainly not going to be upset over something as normal as you expressing your feelings, and it’s normal to end up feeling...attraction to someone--”

“Have you ever...?” Lovino asked suddenly, glancing off to the side and crossing his arms over his chest as he awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Hm?”

“Been a-attracted to somebody before…?”

The question made the heat rise to Matthew’s cheeks as he cleared his throat. “Well, not really. Other than my mother, I had been alone almost all of my life, so I never ended up being around too many people. When I have been around people, I feel more disgust than anything else because of how corrupt humans and society are. But…” Matthew trailed off, shrugging slightly and slipping past Lovino to head towards his bedroom. “I suppose...there’s been one person.”

He had almost made it to his room, his hand resting on the door handle when he heard Lovino inhale sharply. Raising an eyebrow, Matthew glanced back at the faery to see that his face had become pale and there was a distinct look of horror etched across his features.

Blinking, Matthew raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his chest and the burns from the tea which were already starting to fade. Frowning, he looked back over at Lovino, unable to figure out what had caused the severe reaction. "What? I don't look  _ that _ bad shirtless, do I?" he asked, keeping his tone light.

It wasn't until Lovino spoke up that Matthew understood the horror on the other's face. "Your back… Those scars… What the fuck happened to you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for such the long delay. These past couple of months have been pretty rough and haven't left me with much time or energy to be able to write.  
But finally! I was able to get this chapter completed! So I hope everyone enjoys!


	15. 14

Clenching his hands into fists, Lovino watched as Matthew bit his lip and turned his gaze towards the door, remaining silent in the wake of Lovino's question. Admittedly, Lovino couldn't blame him since he hadn't worded it the most eloquently...or delicately.

And as much as Lovino desperately wanted to revel in the fact that this was his first time seeing Matthew with his shirt off (and had, in fact, had his face pressed up against his bare chest, which was a thought that he would save for another time), it was severely dampered by the sight of the thick jagged scars that stretched across his back and partially wrapped around his side to end just below his chest. Though the most peculiar ones, which didn't match the consistency of the other scars and looked to be far older, were the pair of scars that ran nearly parallel to his spine.

He wanted to reach out his hand, to comfort Matthew, but at the same time, whatever had ended up happening had to have been a long time ago, and Lovino felt he was probably only hurting Matthew more by bringing it up.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Lovino shook his head, running his hand through his hair and turning away. “You know what? Just forget that I asked. You’re right. We need to end up going to sleep so we can rest up. You’ve barely had any sleep these last couple of days, and you don’t need to end up coming down sick again.” Just as he started to walk away, a hand wrapped itself around his wrist, causing him to jolt to a halt.

“No…” Matthew murmured, shaking his head as Lovino glanced over his shoulder at him. “I don’t mind telling you. It just…” He sighed, a faint smile on his lips as he laced his fingers between the fire faery’s. “You just caught me off-guard a bit. I usually end up forgetting that I even have the scars, to be honest, since there’s not exactly anyone around to remind me about them.”

Biting his lip, Lovino let his gaze slide over Matthew’s torso, trailing along part of the scar that seemed to outline his ribs. It made the blonde blush from being stared at so openly, but he knew it was merely driven by the fae’s curiosity to know what had happened to him.

_ “I wanted to kiss you, Matthew!” _ The words echoed in the Canadian’s head, making his blush only burn brighter and a shiver of longing run down his spine. _ Okay, maybe it’s not _ ** _all_ ** _ from out of curiosity... _

“Come on.” Tugging on the Italian’s hand, Matthew started down the hallway towards the greenhouse, Lovino squeezing his fingers, which only made the blonde smile reassuringly over at him. Both of them seemed to visibly relax once the warm air and scents of the earth surrounded them.

“You know, if it makes you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to tell me right now…” Lovino muttered, scratching his cheek as he glanced at their entwined hands. In spite of himself, he couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering in his chest with relief that Matthew wasn’t acting any differently to his confession. Of course, that was tempered by the fact that the human hadn’t said that he reciprocated the feelings as well.

“Lovi…” Matthew stopped in front of the pond, turning to look down at the fae with an amused smile on his lips. “I already told you, I don’t mind telling you about what happened.” Sitting down and folding his arms over the tops of his knees, he stared at Lovino’s reflection on the water until the other eventually sat down next to him. “I would’ve had to tell you sooner or later anyways. You’ve already asked about my mother, so it would be best to not keep any secrets…”

Lovino’s eyebrows furrowed together as he plucked a piece of grass, twining it between his fingers in thought. Before he could stop himself, he was leaning toward Matthew, a torrent of questions spilling from his lips. “...Does your mother have something to do with your scars? Is that why she isn’t around? You’ve said that it’s always been just you and her living together… Then how did you end up finding out about Alfred if you had ended up being separated since birth?” Matthew’s hand came up to rest on Lovino’s cheek, causing the fae to cut himself off as he bit his lip with a blush. At the very least, Matthew didn’t seem offended by the questions. Just tired. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine, Lovi,” Matthew murmured, looking into the fire fae’s eyes with a smile. Eventually though, he sighed, rubbing his thumb against Lovino’s cheek. “I guess you could say that my mother played a part in it, though it wasn’t her fault…”

Matthew paused for another moment, and Lovino could see that he was having difficulty forming the words that he wanted to say. Reaching up, he placed a hand on Matthew’s shoulder, though he didn’t say anything, too afraid that he would end up ruining the blonde’s concentration if he did.

Eventually, Matthew was able to gather his thoughts, letting out a small breath and his gaze becoming distant even as he continued to look at Lovino. “I think I had been about twelve or thirteen when it had happened. I don’t remember exactly just because everything about that time period kind of blurs together timewise… But it’s probably been about ten years now... But that day, Maman and I had gone into town to pick up some supplies that we were in need of at home. It was just a normal day, and by the time that we were done and had everything, the sun was just beginning to set and we were carrying everything home. Then, a hovercar seemed to come from out of nowhere, weaving through the air unsteadily, the driver yelling and waving something around. And before I knew it, Maman pushed me down as the hovercar came hurtling toward us. And the next moment, everything seemed to explode around us as it crashed into the wall next to us, metal shrapnel surrounding us from the mangled vehicle…”

A sad smile spread across his face as he rested his free hand on top of Lovino’s, the warmth seeping into his skin like a balm for his wounds. “When the ambulance arrived, I was the only one they found alive. The driver had been drunk, and my mother had already bleed out from being struck by the shrapnel. I had still ended up being cut by several of the pieces, but… But she had ended up shielding me from the worst of it with her own body. And she paid for it with her life.” Biting his lip, Matthew shifted slightly so that he could rest his cheek against his knee, sliding his hand from Lovino’s cheek to tangle his fingers into the soft brown locks at the base of his neck. His smile morphed into a grimace. “The next thing that I remembered was waking up in the hospital, Alfred and my father standing in the room. The staff had ended up running some sort of DNA test to find my nearest relative, and that’s how I ended up being reunited with them. Once I had healed enough to be discharged, then Father bought the house for me because of how much I didn’t want to go with him. That way it would at least ease his conscience that I would have someplace to stay, along with a bank account and a _ hefty _sum of money, and letting Alfred stay for extended periods of time to keep me company. As if any of that could’ve bought my affection or given me my mother back…”

“So this wasn’t your original house?” Lovino asked, leaning into the hand in his hair while his chest ached for Matthew at the thought of every unbearable torment that he must’ve gone through after losing the one person who had loved him and being ripped away from the world that he had known.

Matthew shook his head, a small smile slowly creeping back onto his face as he watched several curious fireflies dance around them. “No. Remember, I told you I was raised out in the forest, right? I know this house is still a ways away from town, but the cottage that we had before is probably a good couple hour hike from here. I usually try to visit it at least twice a year. You would like it. It’s nice and remote. Away from all of the city stuff…”

“Then why don’t we go visit it for a while? Let all of the stuff with your brother ride itself out...?”

Before Lovino could finish his train of thought, Matthew was already shaking his head, letting his hands drop to his lap, his eyes apologetic as he glanced back over at the faery. “The thought did cross my mind but…” He trailed off, a faint blush dusting its way across his cheeks when his mind began to wander to what staying at the cottage would entail for their shared personal space. _ I already have trouble keeping myself from constantly touching him. If we were stuck together in that small of space with only one bed between us, I don’t think I’d be able to stop myself… _

“Hey, don’t chew on your nail like that. You’re going to end up making yourself bleed,” Lovino huffed, reaching forward and pulling Matthew’s hand from his mouth. It wasn’t until after he had done so that Lovino noticed just how close the two of them had ended up drifting to each other throughout Matthew’s storytelling. Heat flared up in Lovino’s chest, his breaths shallow as he averted his gaze, harshly reminding himself that there was already someone else that Matthew was attracted to.

“Sorry…” Matthew’s voice was a whisper when he spoke, as if he didn’t want to disturb the hush that seemed to have fallen around them. “It’s just that with as far into the valley as it is, you wouldn’t be likely to survive the trip. Not with the way the snow has set in, and I’m not going to risk having a blizzard pop up out of nowhere and us getting caught in it.” He rested his free hand on Lovino’s knee, a wry smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “If we had ended up meeting before the snow had fallen, and if there were adequate time to get the cottage prepped for winter, then I wouldn’t hesitate to--...”

“Tch! You _ really _ need to stop trying to do that,” Lovino hissed out, catching Matthew’s free hand and pulling it away from his mouth before he could start to chew on that nail as well. _ There’s something on his mind, but I can’t tell what. Not with as much stress as he’s already under. Because it could be anything, dammit! _ Still, with both of his hands occupied and with Matthew being taller and heavier than he was, it was only so long that Lovino could keep holding Matthew’s hands out of the way before he finally lost his balance and went toppling backwards.

And Matthew followed with him.

There was a moment of stunned silence as Matthew stared down at the blushing Italian, his hands pinning Lovino’s down in the grass above his head. Hazel eyes glimmered beneath him as they roamed across his face and bare torso before glancing away. And it was then that Matthew was sure of it. It was the same look of _ want _ and _ need _ and _ desire _ that had been in Lovino’s gaze when they had been in the kitchen just moments before their ruined dinner.

“You know, whoever that asshole is that rejected you… He’s a fucking idiot and doesn’t deserve to be with you anyways. Anybody who can’t see how strong and wonderful and kind you are isn’t someone that you should end up being with. He’d just be someone that tries to use you before tossing you to the side.” Matthew blinked in surprise at the angry tears that were in Lovino’s eyes when the fae looked back up at him. “If I ever find out who he is, I’ll kick his ass from here to Timbuktu for hurting you.”

For a few seconds, Matthew couldn’t understand what Lovino was referring to, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion...until he remembered the other part of their conversation from in the hallway. It took what little control he had left to keep from laughing or crying...or perhaps both. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Matthew shook his head. “Lovi… Don’t say things like that when you’re looking so...vulnerable… I don’t think my heart could take it…”

“But--”

His next words made Lovino freeze. “I never said that I was rejected. I’ve never even asked anybody out. I only said that there’s one person that I’m attracted to…” Matthew leaned forward, closing what little precious space was between them as he pressed his forehead against Lovino’s shoulder, making the Italian’s breath hitch. He could’ve sworn that the temperature around them had ended up rising several degrees as a result.

“What!? Shit, I-- I thought that--...”

“Lovi…” Matthew’s voice was gentle, but there was a yearning, a torturous longing that Lovino hadn’t ever heard before. “You said that you wanted to kiss me, yeah?” There was a moment of silence as the fire faery eventually nodded his head, prompting Matthew to continue. “Well, there are a lot of things other than just kissing that I want to do to you. Things that I shouldn’t be thinking about because they’re an impossible dream…and because I don’t want either of us to end up doing something we’ll regret...”

It was all that Lovino could do to not think that _ this _ was a dream. Whether a good one or bad one, he couldn’t tell, but his heart was racing in his chest nonetheless. _ Me… I’m the one that he meant. I’m the one that he likes… _ He wished his hands were free to be able to pull Matthew against him, to pull him into a kiss, to make him forget about anything other than being in each other’s arms. But he couldn’t do any of that.

“Why is it impossible? What could there be to regret?” Lovino croaked out, his mouth suddenly feeling too dry when Matthew pulled back to look at him with unshed tears shining in those violet eyes. He had never seen Matthew cry before, and none of the torture that he had undergone at the hands of the scientists could’ve prepared him for the pain caused by the way his heart shattered at the sight.

“...Humans aren’t made to love Faeries.” A smile wavered on his lips. “I’ve read the stories, and there are things that my mother told me… How much physically weaker humans are compared to the Fae. How much easier it is for a human mind to break. How finite a human life is. How Fae are capable of living forever. Humans being invited to faery revelries where they’re stuck dancing until they die. Humans becoming addicted to the touch of certain types of Fae to the point they’ll die if they’re separated…”

In spite of his words, Matthew moved one hand to cup Lovino’s face, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb, his gaze drinking in every detail of the man beneath him. A wry laugh fell from his lips as he swallowed, blinking back his tears. “Even though, just like I told you with the hummingbirds, I know you don’t belong here, that it wouldn’t be right to keep you here. You’re a _ fire _ faery. You _ need _ to be where it’s warmer, where you can go outside and not be cooped up all the time, where you can be _ free. _ ” There was a pause as he gnawed on the inside of his cheek, squeezing Lovino’s hand, his voice dropping half an octave. “And yet, knowing what I know, I still selfishly _ want _ you, want to keep you with me… But I know that you wouldn’t still be here if it weren’t because of the life debt...”

“Matthew, you’re wrong,” Lovino murmured, his free arm wrapping around Matthew. “I already said it earlier.” He let some of his magic flow to his fingers, heat flowing through them as he traced the bumps and ridges of the scars that painted the blonde’s skin. He watched Matthew bite down on his lip to force back the groan that rose in the man’s throat, a shiver running down his spine. “I don’t want to leave. Not without you…”

“You may not have a choice… If I ended up disappearing, there’s no telling what Alfred or my father might end up doing to try to find me... Hell, Alfred already showed up _ here _ to warn me that I may be in danger... They both work for the government, and I’m not about to end up running away just to bring them to your family’s doorstep… I would regret it for the rest of my days...” With each touch by the faery, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Matthew to keep his thoughts focused when his body was all but trembling with desire, pupils dilating until his eyes looked black.

Lovino’s grip tightened as he pulled Matthew’s body flush against him, his hips and arousal pressing up against his own. Their faces were mere centimeters from each other as Matthew traced his lip with his thumb. It only made Lovino wish that it was Matthew’s lips on him instead. “But wouldn’t you end up regretting never being together?” 

Instead of answering, Matthew only posed another question that made Lovino’s heart sink. “And if you accidentally lost control of your magic or ended up forgetting your strength… Would you be able to live with yourself if you ended up breaking me?”

Lovino stilled, eventually turning his head away when he couldn’t meet Matthew’s gaze anymore, couldn’t bear to see the sorrow that marred the blonde’s features. “...No…”

Sighing at the answer he already knew he’d receive, Matthew rolled himself off of Lovino with more effort than it should’ve taken, curling up in the grass with his back to the Italian fae, already shivering from the loss of Lovino’s warmth pressed up against him despite the temperature within the greenhouse. His body still tingled from the touch of Lovino’s magic. “Exactly…” It was only now that his face was hidden that he let his tears flow freely down his face. “It’s not that I don’t want to… And I’m not rejecting your feelings… I just...don’t know of any way forward that wouldn’t end in heartbreak on either side…”

Swallowing and wiping his own tears out of his eyes, Lovino glanced over at Matthew, pressing one of his hands against his back when he noticed the blonde shivering. The gravity of the situation seemed to weigh on the faery’s heart, his mind racing in search of answers. _ There’s been other faery-human couples though… Even ones that have ended up producing children from their union. Surely there’d be able to be a way if they managed it. And not to mention, Matthew’s not just merely a human either. He’s a mage, so he has magic and powers that would end up putting him at risk of being captured by scientists anyways… Surely he must’ve already thought about that? _

Lovino paused in his train of thought, biting his lip as he reprimanded himself. _ Of course he probably fucking hasn’t. With as little sleep as he’s gotten and as much stress as he’s under trying to protect me from his brother… He’s doing everything that he can, but he can’t do _ ** _everything_ ** _ … Ugh… I wish I could ask Nonno. Surely _ ** _he’d_ ** _ know what to do… _ And that thought stuck in his head. _ Maybe I _ ** _can_ ** _ ask him… _

Pressing his forehead between the other’s shoulders, Lovino traced the two scars that ran parallel to his spine. Despite Matthew’s story, he felt like there was more to it. He wasn’t going to worry about it right now though. “...What if I could find a way?” Lovino whispered against Matthew’s skin.

There was no answer.

Propping himself up, Lovino brushed Matthew’s hair out of his face, sighing when he saw that the blonde had already managed to fall asleep. Pulling his borrowed shirt off, he pillowed it on the ground before letting himself morph into his full fae form, warming the air around him. He laid back down in the grass and wrapped his arms around Matthew, his eyelids soon fluttering closed.

_ Don’t worry. I’ll find a way for us to be together… I’m never going to let you go or leave you, Matthew. You’re _ ** _mine._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your kind comments! It always brightens my day to know that you're all enjoying the story that I've written for you guys, and continue to enjoy it with each additional chapter that I post.  
Now, of course, I'd like to hear some feedback from you all on what you'd like to see out of the story!  
What other characters would you like to be introduced in the upcoming chapters?  
With things beginning to _heat up_ between Lovi and Mattie, should I bump up the rating on this fic to M just to be safe?  
Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe to be notified when the next chapter is released!  
Thank you all, and I hope everyone stays safe during these times!


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